A teenage girl who was raped and sexually assaulted on a forest path has told a court that she considered stabbing herself to death in the aftermath of the incident which involved two youths aged 17 and 15.
In January of this year a jury at a Central Criminal Court sitting in Tralee found the two teenagers, now aged 19 and 17, guilty of six out of eight charges they faced.
The older teenage boy was convicted on one count of rape, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault. The younger was found guilty of one count of oral rape and one count of sexual assault. The trial heard the offences occurred in the early hours of July 26th, 2020.
At a sentencing hearing at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork today a victim impact statement from the teenage girl was read in to evidence.
She told Mr Justice Michael McGrath that she developed an eating disorder and depression following the traumatic attack.
"I have been suicidal and I have cut myself. The eating disorder was a way of killing myself slowly, which I wanted to do because of how disgusted I felt because of what was done to me.
My eating disorder was so bad that I was hospitalised in a psychiatric unit. It was to the point that my organs were failing. I felt sick in my own body after what happened to me, and I wanted to change my body so they (boys) would never look at me the same way again.
I thought of stabbing myself to death after this happened. I felt that bad. I was happy growing up but that night changed everything. I have been depressed since then.
I have had to take prescription drugs to help me cope. I have had to take over a thousand tablets over the last two years, and I have had 156 hours of counselling."
The young woman also indicated that she had left school in the aftermath of the incident. She gave up all of her hobbies and isolated herself from most of her friends.
She gave the court an insight in to what her daily life has become since the rape and assault.
"I have to take sleeping tablets to help me sleep at night. I get up in the day time, starve myself and then take Xanax and sleeping tablets to knock myself out most days. So that I don't have to feel what happened."
Meanwhile, the trial heard that on the night of the rape and sexual assault, the victim had been drinking alcohol with her best friend and a number of other people. She was contacted by one of the accused, who was in the area and wanted to meet up.
The girl and her friend met three boys in a clearing area in a forest near her home. The third boy remained with the friend of the victim in the case. She told the trial that she was after drinking wine and cider and was a "bit wobbly."
The trial heard she knew the older accused in the case as she had an on and off relationship with him.
She told the trial that her leggins were pulled down and she was raped and sexually assaulted by the older youth and sexually assaulted by the younger boy.
She said in evidence that she asked the older boy "why are letting (the other accused) do this to me?"
Prosecuting barrister Conor Devally, SC, said that the youths "continued to assault" the girl even after she fell in to a ditch. The fall occurred when she tried to pull up her leggings.
The jury had found the men not guilty on a second charge of rape by the older teenager and another count of sexual assault against the younger man.
Mark Nicholas, defence barrister for the older man described what had occurred as a "grim business." He stated that he in no way wanted to cause upset to any persons present in the court room. He stressed that his client accepted the verdict in the case.
He added that his client had just turned 17 at the time of the offence which took place during a period of great tumult and loss in his family.
Seamus Clark, SC, representing the younger youth denied suggestions made by Prosecuting barrister Mr Devally that there was a level of "premeditation" in the actions of the youths.
He said that his client, who is now 17, had come to understand the harm caused to the victim by his actions. Mr Clark acknowledged that the case was one of "great seriousness." However, he asked the court to give his client an opportunity for growth given his good insight to date in relation to his offending behaviour.
Mr Justice McGrath reserved his judgement in the case. The defendants in the case will be sentenced at a sitting of the court in Dublin on March 23rd next at 2pm.They were remanded in custody pending their next court appearance.
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