Man who raped woman with bottle jailed for eight years

A 26-year-old man who raped a woman with a bottle in a garden shed five years ago has been jailed for eight years.

Jonathan Moran, from Tower View, Mullingar in Co Westmeath, denied what he had done but was found guilty by a jury.

His victim, Bláthnaid Raleigh, waived her anonymity to allow Moran be named in reporting of the case.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt described the crime as appalling and incomprehensible and said the way Ms Raleigh was treated was “unacceptable.”

She had been attending the Galway Arts Festival with a friend on 21 July 2019, when they happened to bump into Moran and other people from their home town.

The rape occurred after Ms Raleigh went back with Moran and some other young people to the rental that he and his friends were staying in that weekend.

He claimed that the sexual activity on the night had been consensual and denied that he used any implement in assaulting Ms Raleigh.

However, DNA was found on three bottles following a forensic examination of the shed.

She was left with extensive physical injuries that required months of treatment in a sexual assault unit.

In her victim impact statement, which she read out in court at a previous hearing, Ms Raleigh told Moran that she was “handing the shame back to you”.

She said she had not felt comfortable using the word rape until she had “validation from the court” but the conviction at trial allowed her to use that now.

She said that, before the assault, she was a typical 21-year-old in her final year of her degree, “finding her feet in adulthood” and described herself as “carefree and fun”.

In the aftermath of the attack, she said, “her life was totally shattered”.

Ms Raleigh referred to the physical injuries she sustained from the attack which led to her needing “invasive and ongoing” treatment in the sexual assault treatment unit for months.

“This was a constant and physical reminder of the damage caused to my body,” she added.

She said she continues to suffer pain from these injuries and described “endless sleepless nights, vivid nightmares and flashbacks”.

“Typical things are no longer fun for me – my body does not enjoy new things any more,” she said.

A garda investigation commenced when three strangers found Ms Raleigh on the street and guided her to a garda station.

She told them that she and a friend had travelled to Galway for the arts festival that weekend and happened to run into various people they recognised from Mullingar, including Moran.

Her friend left with someone else she knew and Ms Raleigh remained with the group, deciding later to go back to the Airbnb that Moran was staying in.

Later in the evening she went to a garden shed on the property with him. Once in the shed, the door was shut and Ms Raleigh was not able to open it.

Moran attacked and molested her, and attempted to have sex with her, forcing her head against the shed door and raping her.

“She was unable to move or get a grip on anything and she was trapped in the shed, Garda Sharon Noone told the court at a previous hearing.

Gardaí responded immediately and the shed was preserved as a crime scene within minutes of her arrival at the station.

Moran maintained his position of innocence throughout the trial. He has no previous convictions and had never come to garda attention.

The court was told that he comes from a hard-working family and has been in long term full-time employment.

Mr Justice Hunt described Ms Raleigh’s evidence as articulate and said that while Moran had changed her life for the worse, he wished her well in dealing with this “life-changing experience”.

He sentenced Moran to nine years in prison, with the final year suspended.