A Cork man has been sentenced to eight years for raping a 13-year-old girl in a bathroom after giving her alcohol.
The Central Criminal Court heard the then 21-year-old man forced himself on the girl and took her virginity after forcing his way into the bathroom when she was going to the toilet at a social gathering.
The victim, now over 18, told the court that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression since the ordeal, and said if she had one wish, it would be to have her teenage years back.
Not guilty plea
The 25-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pleaded not guilty to rape in May 2008. He was convicted of the offence in February.
The girl, who was 13 years old at the time of the incident, was given a number of bottles of Budweiser by the man. The court heard that he was not drinking much as he was driving.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said he had taken into account the “inherent gravity of the offence”, the disparity in age between the man and his victim, the fact that he had “plied a 13-year-old girl with alcohol” and had “violently taken her virginity”.
He suspended the final 12 months of the sentence having considered the man’s lack of “previous relevant convictions”.
Mr Justice Carney also imposed 18 months’ post-release supervision and ordered that the man not have any contact with the victim.