PORTLAOISE MAN SENTENCED TO 4+ YEARS FOR RAPING WOMAN
A woman has described her rapist's apology letter as "disingenuous" and stated he showed no remorse after he assaulted her on a secluded lane in Portlaoise.Ivan Kelly (23), residing on Buttercup Avenue, Esker Hills, Portlaoise, Co Laois, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury following a trial in October.
He had pleaded not guilty to raping the woman in a Co Laois town on December 27th, 2017.
He was sentenced to four years in prison on a Tuesday.
During the court hearing, a letter from the victim was read out, in which she explained her response to Kelly's earlier apology during a sentencing hearing, stating it "felt quite disingenuous due to the fact that he showed no remorse during the trial." The woman detailed the emotional and physical trauma she experienced, saying she felt she "lost who I was," and described the assault and her feelings afterwards.
The judge, Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, emphasized the impact of Kelly’s actions, noting his use of force, previous convictions, and the fact he had to be extradited from the UK as aggravating factors.
He also recognized Kelly was 17 at the time of the assault, which he considered a mitigating factor, along with his personal circumstances and being a father of two.
Kelly was sentenced to four years and nine months, with nine months suspended on strict conditions, backdated to June 29, 2022, when he entered custody.
The court ordered Kelly to have no contact with the victim indefinitely.
The victim expressed her ongoing suffering, stating she felt "empty every day" and "sadness and loneliness" after the attack.
Kelly has 27 previous convictions related to possession of knives and drugs, theft, handling stolen property, criminal damage, failure to appear, assault, and road traffic offenses.
The trial detailed how Kelly initially met the woman to buy drugs, which turned into a sexual encounter that turned violent.
The woman immediately reported the attack to the police.
Kelly denied the rape, claiming the sex was consensual and happened elsewhere before being extradited back to Ireland.
The court acknowledged Kelly's youth at the time of the offence as a mitigating factor, but still sentenced him to imprisonment.
The judge expressed hope for the woman's recovery and emphasized the significant harm caused by Kelly's actions.
