A Kildare man has been jailed for eight years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court for raping a then teenage woman, his sister's best friend, in a GAA grounds two years ago.
Michael O'Neill (24), a father of one from Bishopsland, Kildare, was also certified as a sex offender and Mr Justice Carney directed that he undergo five years post-release supervision.
He was convicted by a jury of two women and 10 men of raping the then 18-year-old woman on March 7th, 2004, at St Brigid's Park, the home of Round Towers GAA club, in Kildare. The jury returned its 10-2 majority verdict on day eight of the trial in April
The victim told the court she wanted him named for the protection of others. She said the rape had fractured her friendship with O'Neill's sister although they tried to remain friends.
She suffered sleeplessness and panic attacks afterwards. However, she did not go for counselling because she did not want to tell strangers about it.
Brendan Grehan SC, defending, said O'Neill still protested his innocence of the rape which happened after "an amorous interchange", despite his admissions to gardaí afterwards that generally matched the complainant's account.
These admissions were ruled out of evidence during the trial.
Mr Grehan submitted many testimonials for O'Neill from family and friends, present and past employers who said he was a reliable, hard worker, and from the mother of his seven-year-old daughter who said the child "loves him dearly and misses him terribly".
The child's mother described him as a kind, loving father, who took his parental responsibility seriously.
Mr Justice Carney said the case was typical of so many that came before the court where a large consumption of alcohol, sometimes accompanied by drugs, resulted in people of previously good character appearing on a killing or rape charge. He noted that the rape was accompanied by "a credible threat to kill".