A young man who was described in evidence as a "Satan worshipper" has been convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of kidnapping a teenage girl and raping her in his bedroom three years ago.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton made an order prohibiting the media from naming the 20-year-old man after being told by Alexander Owens SC, prosecuting, that the victim and her family wanted him identified publicly.
"I have no discretion in the matter. The law states clearly that nothing should be published which could lead to the identification of the victim in a small town. I am prohibiting publication of his name," the judge said.
The jury found the man guilty by 11-1 majority of raping the victim and by 10-2 majority of falsely detaining her on May 3rd, 2004. The jury also convicted him unanimously of assaulting the now 19-year-old victim causing harm on the same occasion but disagreed on two further charges of attempted rape and sexual assault of her. He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges during his five-day trial and told gardaí they had consensual sex at her suggestion and that when she asked him if she was "good", he gave her "a smart reply that she was as good as Britney Spears".
Mr Justice Charleton declared him a sex offender and remanded him in custody for sentence in October. He also directed the preparation of victim impact, probation and psychiatric reports.