Teenager who raped girl when they were both 15 in Cork city alleyway detained

Olivia Kelleher

A young man who was 15 when he raped a girl of the same age in an alley way close to Cork city centre is to be detained for two years.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been in the Oberstown Detention Campus for children since February this year.

He was detained after he was found guilty of the oral and vaginal rape of a girl two years ago.

Detective Garda Niall Comerford previously told the jury at a trial in the Central Criminal Court in Cork that the girl left a fast food restaurant shortly after 6pm on February 11th, 2023.

She was intoxicated and quickly became separated from her friends.

The girl was approached by the accused, who told her that one of her friends was with his cousin.

Det Garda Comerford said the teenager then prompted the girl to follow him to an isolated area where she was raped. The area where the rape occurred had extensive CCTV which was harvested as part of the Garda investigation.

At the sentencing hearing on Friday in Cork, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said that the boy had “manoeuvred” the girl to the isolated area in an act which displayed a degree of “premeditation.”

Ms Justice Lankford said that the girl left the area in a “distressed” state a few minutes after she was raped. She “let out a cry” and told a member of the public on the street about what had occurred.

She subsequently confided in her mother about what had happened, and they went to a garda station to report the matter.

She was also taken to a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit. The boy was identified and interviewed on four occasions. He claimed that the sexual activity was consensual.

Ms Justice Lankford said that the complainant in the case was a very ‘brave’ person who had used her victim impact statement to encourage other people in her situation to come forward. She noted the adverse impact the rape had had on the life of the girl.

“I hope she takes some comfort from the verdict of the jury. She can be proud of herself.”

Ms Justice Lankford said she had read the probation report in the case. Probation officers have indicated that the accused accepts the verdict and is remorseful for his actions.

He is signed up to a programme for young people who sexually harm and is doing well in Oberstown, where his behaviour is described as being “excellent.”

Ms Justice Lankford said that the youth has a lower emotional age than his chronological age. He comes from difficult family circumstances and has learning difficulties.

Taking his age into consideration, Ms Justice Lankford opted to detain him for two years. He will also be on the Sexual Offenders register for two and a half years.

Meanwhile, the young girl previously said in her victim impact statement that “no means no.”

She also outlined the impact the rape had had on her life whilst calling on others in her situation to contact the gardaí.

The teenager stated: “I want to encourage other girls to come forward and tell their story and to not be scared. No one should control, no man should control another person. No one should get away with rape.

“I want you (the accused) to know that no means no. And I want to encourage other girls to speak up and tell your parents or the guards because if you don't you could get depressed and no one should get away with rape.

“Before it happened, I was very innocent and quiet, and you took away my innocence. You put me in fear for my life, and I am still sometimes even scared to go outside.”

The girl said that she suffers from panic attacks and finds it hard to sleep.

“I dream about it and wake up during the night and can't sleep. I bite the tops of my fingers out of nerves and stress.

“I was scared to even look at a boy for ages after it happened in case they would do the same thing to me.

“I completely want to change myself now. I don't want to be that person anymore, because I don't want to be the person that you touched, so I have tried to become a different person. I have changed how I look … now I only wear tracksuits.

“I dropped out of school after it happened because I couldn't even get out of bed to shower or brush my hair, and I would stay in the same pyjamas for ages.

"I have watched this impact my family, my mom and dad got very depressed, and my siblings were really worried about me because I was very suicidal after it happened. I was suicidal because you took my dignity, and I felt like I was worthless. I felt like I had no life after that, and I didn't want to do anything."

“I lost all my friends because I didn't text or talk to any of them after it because I just wanted to be by myself."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.