A 23-year-old man has been jailed for 15 years for raping three women.
Salman Dar, a software engineer originally from Lahore in Pakistan, with an Irish address at Abbey View, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, was jailed for three attacks on different dates between February and June last year at locations in Dublin city.
Dar appeared before the Central Criminal Court today. The judge imposed three consecutive seven-year sentences and suspended the final two years of each, leaving Dar with 15 years to serve in prison.
Mr Justice Paul Carney, who described the rapes as the type which incurred fear within the community of having a serial rapist in its midst.
The three victims were all blonde and walking home by themselves in the early hours of the morning when Dar approached and attacked them.
Two were attacked in their own apartment buildings after Dar followed them home. Dar beat all three women viciously before forcing them to perform oral sex on him, the court heard.
Prosecuting counsel Mary Ellen Ring told Mr Justice Carney that all the victims suffered numerous physical injuries and now feared being alone.
Dar, addressing Mr Justice Carney from the witness box, said: "I am sorry". He asked for forgiveness from his victims and said he wanted to be "a good man".
DNA evidence was used to identify Dar. The court also heard the investigation involved viewing of hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from the areas where he had attacked and raped his victims on the days in question.