A MAN released last year after serving 13 years in prison for raping four women over six days will apply to the High Court next week for an order restraining a number of newspapers revealing his address or publishing pictures of him. The coverage made it impossible for Michael Murray to live anywhere, the court was told.
Michael Murray (49), originally from Dublin’s south inner city, raped four women and sexually assaulted two others over a six-day period in 1995. Two of his victims said in court they believed he was going to strangle them to death.
Yesterday, his lawyers secured permission from Ms Justice Mary Laffoy to serve short notice of the injunction application against Newsgroup Newspapers, publishers of the News of the World; the Sun, Independent Newspapers, and the Star. He also wants an order preventing the Garda from giving information as to his whereabouts to the newspapers. The matter was returned to next Wednesday.
Some of the articles published about Murray would offend the Incitement to Hatred Act, his counsel Paul O’Higgins SC told the court yesterday. Each time he tried to establish a new address, the newspapers reveal it and cause a public reaction, forcing him to leave accommodation and employment, counsel said.
Mr O’Higgins said his client was jailed in 1996 for 18 years, served 13 years and was released from Castlerea Prison in July last year on the basis he would remain under the supervision of the Probation Service.
He also had to sign the sex offenders’ register which requires him to notify gardaí of any change in address. His client had undergone rehabilitation while in prison, counsel said.
On his release from Castlerea last July, Murray travelled by train with a member of the probation services to Dublin, where a photographer and reporter were awaiting him, counsel said. There followed a “constant stream” of newspaper coverage which was sensationalised, unbalanced, inflammatory and made it “impossible, in effect, for him to live anywhere”.
Murray was assisted by the New Directions voluntary organisation in getting accommodation in the north inner city between July and November last, to which members of the Garda regularly called, counsel said. Murray complained about this to the officer dealing with the sex offenders’ register in the Bridewell Garda station.
He left that accommodation in November and secured new accommodation, also in the north inner city, until January 19th last. He was now moving between bed and breakfast accommodations, – a “wholly unsatisfactory situation”.
He was being “moved on” each time he got new accommodation and it was the “declared intention” of the newspapers to move him on, counsel said. Despite being written to by his lawyers, all the newspapers declined to take any steps over the matter.
Information supplied to gardaí under the Sex Offenders Act should not be passed on, counsel said. A garda may have arrived at Murray’s door on one occasion at the same time as a newspaper photographer, counsel said. There was also the question of whether the way in which information was obtained by the press might be a breach of Murray’s privacy.