A Letterkenny man who preyed on a 16-year-old lady and plied her with medicine has been jailed for 4 years after pleading responsible to sexual assault.
Patrick Marley (35) was earlier than this week’s sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Courtroom.
He lured his younger sufferer into his house with the provide of hashish after preying on her for a number of hours.
In sentencing, Choose John Aylmer stated Marley – who fled to the UK for a interval after the incident – was perusing his sufferer ‘amorously’ on the evening in query. Marley, with an tackle at Crerand Home, Larkins Lane, initially pleaded not responsible in June and a jury was empanelled earlier than he modified his plea to one in all responsible.
Ms Fiona Crawford BL, prosecutor for the State, stated the sufferer within the case was entitled to anonymity however as there was no hyperlink between her and Marley, the accused man could possibly be named.
The incident occurred at an house in Letterkenny on July 16, 2017, when the sufferer was 16 years outdated.
Detective Garda Watters stated the girl was out with buddies and was consuming and took an ecstasy pill earlier within the evening. As she was carrying a tracksuit, she didn’t need to go to a nightclub within the city.
The court docket heard proof that the lady confided in a instructor {that a} boy was ‘creeping her out’.
When she encountered Marley, he requested her if she took cocaine and she or he replied: “No, however when you’re providing it, I could as nicely.”
This was round 3am and the pair took a line of cocaine. Marley tried to kiss her and she or he stated she grew to become ‘type of scared’. He grabbed her hand and as she let go he tried to kiss her once more. She advised him that she was a lot youthful, the court docket heard.
Later, at a property in Letterkenny, Marley, who lured {the teenager} again on the promise of hashish, was ‘handed out sleeping’ and the girl may hear music from one other room. The deal with of the entrance door was damaged off and was sitting on a desk beside the door. She was unable to get the deal with affixed to the door, which was locked.
When she went to wake Marley, he tried to kiss her once more and she or he advised him she didn’t need that to occur. The court docket heard that Marley tried to get on prime of the sufferer, who pushed him off and stated ‘I must get residence, let me out’.
Outdoors the door, Marley once more grabbed the lady and leaned in to kiss her. As she pushed him away, Marley was holding her by the again and aspect.
Whereas the lady continued to battle, Marley put his hand inside her underwear and assaulted her, the court docket heard. The lady advised him ‘please don’t do that’ and punched him on the top. She tried to get Marley in a headlock and advised him: ‘I can’t consider you’ve carried out that, that was simply sick’.
Having subsequently advised her mom what had occurred, she was taken to the Sexual Assault Therapy Unit (SATU) in Letterkenny.
Marley, who has 24 earlier convictions, was unemployed and homeless on the time and was sleeping on a relative’s couch, his barrister, Mr Colm Smyth SC, stated.
Detective Garda Watters stated that Marley failed to look for a court docket listening to in 2018 and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Gardai made subsequent enquiries after they couldn’t find Marley. In January 2019, they utilized for a European Arrest Warrant, which was executed in June 2020.
The lady bravely took to the stand to face Marley and advised how she is ‘completely terrified’ to stroll alone. Even when she goes to a close-by store, she calls a member of the family. The sufferer stated she ‘struggles terribly with nervousness each single day’ and has needed to be medicated to cope with suicidal ideas.
She stated she had tried to take her personal life ‘many instances’ and has obtained intensive counselling.
“I endure from panic assaults and nightmares,” she stated. “I battle to make buddies with boys and males; I can’t let that occur to me once more. This has been essentially the most terrifying six years of my life. I’ve been so traumatised and devastated that he took six years of my life. I continually reside in concern of males.”
The lady stated she has ‘suffered each minute for the final six years’ and stated her assailant ‘held on to confess guilt till the final second’.
“I’m haunted that he’s nonetheless strolling the road,” she stated, including that she repeatedly asks herself: ‘What do I do? The place do I am going? Will it ever change?’
Mr Smyth learn a letter of apology written by Marley, who stated he wished to apologise for his actions.
“I can’t start to know how you have to really feel,” Marley wrote. “From the underside of my coronary heart, I’m actually sorry.”
A letter of reference from his employer was handed in to the court docket.
Mr Smyth stated this was an offence dedicated whereas his consumer was drunk and medicines.
He stated Marley was going to supply the sufferer €10,000, however didn’t ‘as he didn’t need to offend the sufferer’ or ‘be seen to purchase a means out of jail’. He stated his consumer is ‘actually and deeply sorry’ and that his employers had been ‘enormously shocked’ by the case.
Choose Aylmer stated that Marley administering cocaine to the lady some hours upfront of the fee of the offence was an aggravating characteristic.
He stated Marley was a ‘mature grownup as compared’ and ‘had been preying on her for an prolonged variety of hours’.
“She was already intoxicated and it seems as if he was benefiting from her already intoxicated state,” Choose Aylmer stated. “He lured her into the privateness of his dwelling with the provide of hashish and when it got here to the fee of the offence, vital bodily drive was used.”
Choose Aylmer stated it was clear from the girl’s sufferer impression assertion that the incident has had a ‘very damaging psychological impression’ on her.
Choose Aylmer stated the offence merited a sentence of six years in jail earlier than contemplating mitigation.
He famous that Marley has turn into concerned with one other lady. Choose Aylmer stated Marley’s responsible plea was late, however was thought-about precious because it spared the sufferer the extra trauma of getting to offer proof.
Choose Aylmer diminished the sentence to one in all 4 years in jail.
Letterkenny man who preyed on lady (16) jailed for sexual assault was final modified: October twenty fifth, 2023 by
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