Twelve Years For Rape On Church Grounds

A man has been jailed for 12 years after repeatedly raping a married Polish woman in the grounds of a west Dublin church.

Richard Finn aged 20, subjected the woman to over two hours of rape and sexual assaults on July 22, 2007 during which he used his mobile phone to photograph her. The phone was never recovered.

Garda identified Finn of Rockfield Drive, Clondalkin as the rapist from the victim's description of him as well as information arising out of two similar type attacks on females around the same time.

He pleaded guilty to rape and oral rape of the victim who he had grabbed from behind at about 7.30am on Convent Road, Clondalkin while she walked to work. He then dragged her into the grounds of the Church of Immaculate Conception and Scoil Mhuire, holding her there until nearly 10.00am.

The victim said the horrific ordeal had completely changed her life. She returned home to Poland and didn't travel back for the court hearing.

Mr Justice Paul Carney noted that this wasn't the first case to come before the court in which a foreign female woman was attacked on a public highway and viciously raped.

The judge said that aggravating factors included Finn's filming of her and the distress caused to the victim by the fact that the camera phone he used has never been recovered.

He said she found the violence being carried out on her on consecrated grounds especially distressing in view of her Polish Catholic upbringing.

The court heard the woman had screamed and he told her to stop but when she continued to scream he punched her to the right side of her face and told her he wouldn't harm her if she stayed quiet.

Mr Justice Carney directed that Finn's name be added to the register of sex offenders and that he undergo five years post-release supervision.

Earlier, Mr Justice Carney said he wanted to note in public that he had received a number of what he described as "letters of support" for Finn from a parish priest and other parties.

(DW/JM)