A YOUNG MAN who raped a girl in a field when they were both teenagers, putting his hand around her neck and telling her “you’re mine” as she screamed, has been jailed for three years.

The man, who is now aged 19, was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of one count of rape, one count of attempted oral rape, five counts of sexual assault and one count of assault causing harm on 18 March 2022, following a trial earlier this year.

He cannot be named as he was a juvenile when he was charged with these offences.

The defendant was aged 16 when he met the 15-year-old girl in a field near a housing estate in north Dublin on the evening in question. After some consensual kissing, he began touching the girl and she repeatedly asked him to stop.

He apologised but then continued to grope the girl, and she again told him to stop. Eventually, when he persistently returned to touching her after saying he’d stop, she told him: “I’m done, I’m fed up.”

The teenage boy then became aggressive and put his hand tightly on her neck and told her: “You’re mine.” The neck hold only lasted about five seconds, but it was so tight she couldn’t breathe, and he repeated this a number of times during the ensuing attack.

The defendant then tried to force the girl to take his penis into her mouth. When he failed to do this, he told her: “You know you want a ride.”

The girl was screaming at him, saying no and “stop, get off me,” but the boy proceeded to rape her. After the rape, he tried to kiss her and groped her breasts.

The girl reported the attack to her mother later that night, and the boy was identified and arrested.

Sentencing him today, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said this was a case that “sadly” involved two people who were very young at the time.

He said the victim impact statement from the young woman was “harrowing.”

“These events have had what could only be described as a catastrophic effect on her,” he said.

He noted that the girl’s mother threw her out of the house after this incident and that apart from social workers who have helped to care for her, the only person who stood by her was a friend she confided in on the night of the attack.

This friend, a young woman of the same age, made a statement to gardaí and also gave evidence at trial on behalf of the prosecution.

Mr Justice McGrath said as a result of her mother’s actions, the young woman ended up on the streets and then in hostel accommodation, where she witnessed things that “a person of her age should never have to witness”. She has struggled with severe mental health difficulties as a result of the attack, he said.

“It’s really shocking the effect this has had on this young woman,” the judge said, adding he hoped the conclusion of the trial process could help the process of healing.

“Given what she has been presented with, she has proven remarkably courageous and resilient,” he said.

The judge said that had the defendant been an adult at the time of this offending, he would have set a sentence of eight years. “However, he was only a child when he committed these offences,” he said. “He was only 16 years old.”

He noted that children are not fully developed and have not fully matured if they commit offences when they are minors. He said the issue of rehabilitation is also important for young offenders.

He set a sentence of four years and suspended the final year of this sentence in order to encourage the young man’s rehabilitation. He noted he has not had any engagement with the Probation Service to date, and he ordered him to do so, both in custody and for two years after his release, as part of the terms of his suspended sentence.

He backdated the sentence to July, when the man was taken into custody.

In her victim impact statement, the complainant said that her life was turned upside down that night. She said as a result of the attack, “my own mother didn’t want me,” and this led to her trying to take her own life several times.

She said her physical and mental health deteriorated, and she ended up homeless and staying in hostels. At the same time, she was trying to keep her place on a hairdressing apprenticeship and had to maintain a facade that everything was ok.

She said she still struggles with anxiety and depression and experiences flashbacks.

Seamus Clarke SC, defending, handed in a number of testimonials outlining his client’s strong work ethic and what was described in court as his integrity and kindness. He said that his client’s behaviour in custody was very good. He was a university student in his second year prior to going into custody.

Defence counsel asked that the man’s young age and his youth at the time of the offence be taken into account.