SEAN MOYNIHAN, SERIAL SEX OFFENDER FROM PAISLEY AND JOHNSTONE, CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTED RAPE NEAR PAISLEY'S CASTLE GARDENS
In a case that has spanned over a decade, Sean Moynihan, aged 34, has been found guilty of attempting to sexually assault a teenage girl in Paisley.The incident took place on a cycle track near Castle Gardens in Paisley, a location well-known to local residents, on the 2nd of October.
The victim, a 15-year-old girl at the time, was out for a jog when she encountered Moynihan, who would later be convicted of this heinous crime.
According to her testimony, she initially saw Moynihan in front of her as she was on the cycle path.
She believed he was simply taking a break during his run.
However, her perception changed dramatically when Moynihan suddenly disappeared from her view.
Moments later, she was violently attacked from behind, with Moynihan pressing a knife to her neck.
Overcome with fear, she recounted her feelings of shock and helplessness as she was forcibly dragged into a nearby area filled with nettles.
The young girl described Moynihan as aggressive and demanding, forcing her to strip naked and threatening her with a knife.
She tearfully told the court, “I was crying as I started taking my clothes off.
I was saying, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Her ordeal continued until Moynihan allowed her to leave, at which point she managed to escape.
Her mother, who testified during the trial, described her daughter’s distress: “She said that she had been raped and that was when she fell into my arms.
I felt sick.
When we got home, she sat on the bed and I just held her.” Importantly, the victim stated she had never met Moynihan before the attack.
However, during police interviews, Moynihan claimed otherwise.
He insisted that he had met her weeks earlier outside a local supermarket and that their encounter on the cycle track was consensual.
He described their interaction as a mutual flirtation that led to over an hour of consensual sex, claiming, “The patter was flowing – we began kissing.
I stated that I liked her and she liked me.
She suggested that there is an area that we could go down.
We were there for over an hour.” Moynihan further asserted that at no point did she show hesitation or say no, and he described their parting as jovial, with both parties laughing and joking.
Investigators uncovered that Moynihan had obtained personal details about the victim from her Facebook profile shortly after the incident, which prosecutors argued was an attempt to cover up the assault and create a false narrative of consensual activity.
Moynihan also falsely claimed to be long-term friends with her cousin, a statement he later admitted was untrue.
The prosecution characterized his actions as a deliberate effort to deceive law enforcement.
It is known that Moynihan has a troubling criminal history.
He was previously jailed in 2009 for raping a 16-year-old girl who believed his car was a taxi.
He drove her to Gleniffer Braes in Paisley before forcing her into sex.
After serving his sentence, he was ordered to undergo supervision for an additional three years.
In 2014, he was convicted of raping an 18-year-old woman at knifepoint in Johnstone, a town near Paisley, and is currently serving time for that offense.
Police and judicial officials have condemned Moynihan’s actions.
Officers have described him as a “despicable individual,” and authorities have expressed relief that he is now behind bars, making Renfrewshire a safer place.
During the sentencing, Judge Bill Dunlop remarked on the chilling nature of Moynihan’s planning to evade detection, emphasizing the severity of his criminal conduct and the danger he poses to the community.
