A 28-year-old Galway man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for raping a 15-year-old girl.
Joseph Dodd, a father of two, from Castle Park, Galway, admitted the charge of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 in September 2004, contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1935.
Det Garda Barry Carolan gave evidence at Galway Circuit Criminal Court yesterday that Dodd had arranged to pick the teenager up from her parents' home in another part of the county and drive her to his parents' home in Galway city late that night so he could take her to see her boyfriend, who was in prison in Castlerea at the time, the following day.
On the way to Galway city, Dodd pulled into a side road near a wooded area and tried to kiss the girl. He said to her "Do you feck?", which the detective explained was a Traveller phrase for having sex. She said no, and reminded him she was only 15.
Dodd raped her and brought her to his parents' home, where she spent the night. The next day he drove her to the prison.
Three weeks later she told her mother what had happened, and a complaint was made to the gardaí. When Dodd was arrested and questioned, he admitted having sex with the girl but claimed she had consented.
Det Carolan said the girl insisted she had not consented and she was still suffering from the consequences of the attack.
The girl had become withdrawn and did not want to give evidence in court as she was too nervous.