Eimear Dodd
A man who sexually assaulted his friend at her home in a “complete breach of trust” has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Conor Carty (23) pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault on a date in July 2020.
The victim indicated that she wished to retain her anonymity, but wanted Carty, of Rampere, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, to be named.
Carty and the victim were known to each other. He had been drinking heavily and was highly intoxicated when he was put to bed in the victim's bedroom. The court heard he had stayed overnight previously and was welcome in her family home.
The victim later went to bed and during the night, Carty sexually assaulted her three times over the course of 20 minutes. The victim pretended to be asleep.
When he left the room for a short period, she messaged her sister asking for help.
When Carty returned, she again pretended to be asleep. He tried to wake her before getting back into bed again.
She then went to her sister's bedroom in a distressed state and told her what had happened.
The man was confronted by the victim's sister and told to leave the house.
The victim went to a sexual assault treatment unit and swabs indicated the presence of male DNA, but there was insufficient material to create a profile.
Carty contacted his local Garda station the day after the offending occurred and was later interviewed by gardaí voluntarily.
He told gardaí he didn’t remember anything after being put to bed and couldn’t recall any sexual contact with the victim.
Carty has no previous convictions and has not come to Garda attention since this incident.
Reading her own statement to the court, the victim said she has suffered panic attacks, suicidal ideation, night terrors and difficulties sleeping in the wake of the sexual assaults. She also said she couldn't allow anyone to touch her in the following months as she felt dirty, no matter how often she washed.
She said she couldn’t enter her bedroom or sleep there until “I burnt my mattress and anything he touched.”
The woman said she decided to take a year out of college due to the deterioration in her mental health. She outlined that she has trust issues, particularly with men.
The woman said she has had to cope as the “most broken version of myself”, while the person who did it was “free of consequences for four years”.
She said she hopes to put this further behind her and will continue “to get through every day and not let it ruin my life”.
Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted that Carty had been “trusted”, but carried out “demeaning and humiliating” sexual assaults on the victim.
Mr Justice McDermott said there had been a “complete breach of trust” and that the offending occurred in her bedroom, a place that should have been secure.
He said the offences were an “abject violation” of the victim's bodily integrity and dignity and she continues to deal with the consequences. He noted Carty was highly intoxicated and while this was not offered by the defence as an excuse, it could be considered to be an aggravating factor.
He noted Carty's guilty plea, good work history and family support. Mr Justice McDermott noted the contents of the probation report indicate some concern about Carty's lack of memory about his offending and his level of insight.
Mr Justice McDermott imposed a sentence of four years and six months. He suspended the final year of the sentence on strict conditions, including that Carty place himself under probation supervision, engage with any recommended therapeutic programmes and have no contact with the victim.
The investigating garda agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that his client consumed a large amount of alcohol on the night. It was further accepted that the man had stayed at the house before and there had previously never been any issues.
The garda agreed that when Carty's offending came to light, he was asked to leave, denied doing anything and was later assaulted by a third party.
Mr Grehan read out a letter of apology from Carty to his victim. Carty said: “While I still can’t remember some part of what happened that night…I trust and believe what you say happened.”
Carty said he was sorry for “unimaginable pain and anguish caused to you and your family”.
Counsel also read out letters from Carty's parents and aunt and uncle, which outlined their support for him and apologised to the victim and her family.
Mr Grehan noted the probation officer expressed concern about Carty's lack of memory of that night’s event. He said his client takes full responsibility, accepts the victim’s “word as to what she said happened and he believes her”.
His client has otherwise led a “blameless life” and has a good work history since leaving college.
