MICHAEL O’REILLY SENTENCED FOR RAPE IN KILKENNY AND DUBLIN CRIME SPREE

In a harrowing case that has shocked the community of Kilkenny and the wider Dublin area, Michael O’Reilly, aged 29, was convicted of heinous sexual assault involving a 13-year-old girl. The incident took place in Dublin on April 11, 2021, and has since garnered significant media attention due to the severity of the crime and the vulnerability of the victim.

O’Reilly, a resident of St Marys Crescent, Hebron Road, Kilkenny city, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the charge of rape. The court heard that the assault occurred at a location in Dublin, where the young girl was subjected to a brutal sexual attack. Justice Eileen Creedon, presiding over the case, delivered the sentence and emphasized the gravity of the offense. She noted that the maximum penalty available for such a crime is life imprisonment, but based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), she considered a sentence in the range of 10 to 15 years appropriate. Ultimately, she set a headline sentence of 11 years.

During her sentencing remarks, Justice Creedon highlighted that the victim was a minor, a child, and that the accused was significantly older. She pointed out that the girl had explicitly expressed her unwillingness to engage in sexual activity prior to the assault, making it clear she did not consent. Despite her clear communication, O’Reilly exploited his position of dominance to carry out the attack. The judge also referenced the victim’s impact statement, in which she described the profound trauma she experienced. She revealed that she found it extremely distressing to attend court proceedings and that she had previously engaged in self-harm as a result of the emotional scars inflicted by the assault.

O’Reilly was sentenced to nine years in prison, with the final eighteen months suspended for a period of eighteen months. The court also ordered that he remain under the supervision of Probation Services for the same period and adhere to all directives issued by them. Additionally, he is required to register as a sex offender, with his sentence being backdated to the date he was taken into custody.

Earlier in the proceedings, Detective Garda Darragh McNally provided details of the events leading up to the arrest. The investigation revealed that a 17-year-old boy, known to the victim, had contacted her via Snapchat, asking if she wanted to meet for “feeking,” a colloquial term for sexual intercourse. The girl agreed to meet the boy for sexual activity but explicitly refused to engage in any sexual acts with O’Reilly when asked. The two girls then went to a petrol station, where O’Reilly arrived in a car with the teenage boy and another man. The girls entered the vehicle, which then drove for approximately ten minutes to a gated field.

Once there, everyone disembarked, and the girl and the teenage boy went behind some bushes to have sexual intercourse. The court heard that immediately after the boy finished, O’Reilly approached and attempted to persuade the girl to have sex with him. She refused, but O’Reilly forcibly grabbed her shoulders, pushed her down, and began to remove her trousers and underwear despite her protests and pleas for him to stop. Despite her repeated refusals, O’Reilly persisted, eventually forcing her to the ground and raping her.

The victim was visibly distressed after the assault, and her female friend noticed her upset state. The two girls were then driven back to the petrol station by the men, after which they boarded a bus. During the journey, the victim confided in her friend about what had happened. Her friend, alarmed by her distress, contacted the other man involved and began shouting at him, which drew the attention of a woman on the bus. The woman approached the girls, advised them to report the incident to the Gardaí, and helped them make the report.

Following the report, O’Reilly was arrested and initially denied any involvement. When shown CCTV footage from the bus, he dismissed the evidence, claiming, “That’s nothing to do with me” and “It doesn’t make me feel anything ‘cos I didn’t do anything.” However, months later, forensic tests confirmed his DNA was present on the girl’s body, linking him to the sexual assault. He was subsequently charged and brought to trial in February of the following year.

The victim’s impact statement was deeply emotional. She described herself as a child robbed of her innocence, stating, “This monster took away my childhood.” She revealed that after the assault, she left school and turned to alcohol and medication to cope with her trauma. “My whole life changed. He took a part of me. I’m hurting so bad. I’ll never be myself again,” she wrote. She also expressed feelings of guilt and shame, saying she sometimes blamed herself and felt dirtier when others found out about the incident.

In relation to the teenage boy involved, a charge of engaging in a sexual act with a child, or defilement, was initially preferred. However, on March 16, the case was discontinued with a nolle prosequi, and O’Reilly pleaded guilty to the rape charge instead. The court was informed that, despite their training, Garda specialist interviewers found it challenging to get the victim to articulate certain sexual terms, such as “vagina,” which she eventually managed to do, and she was unable to say “penis” at any point during the interview.

It is noteworthy that O’Reilly has no previous convictions for sexual offenses. However, he does have a criminal record for assault, theft, and burglary, which underscores a pattern of criminal behavior. The case has left a lasting impact on the young girl and her family, highlighting the ongoing issues of child protection and the importance of safeguarding minors from predatory individuals in Kilkenny and beyond.