Convicted rapist in Wicklow faces sentencing over breach of sex offender list rules
The Wicklow PeopleA convicted rapist from Wicklow is due to be sentenced, after admitting he failed to comply with sex offender notification requirements.
Eoghan O’Connell (36), with an address at Dargle Heights, Bray, Co Wicklow, appeared before a sitting of Bray District Court.
He pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with ongoing notification requirements, including a failure to notify gardaí every three days of the specific location where he intended to reside between March and May 2026.
The accused was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl after a teenage disco in 2004 and was jailed for five years by Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court in 2006.
His barrister at his sentencing hearing, Fergal Kavanagh SC, said the defendant began abusing alcohol when he was 10 and then started smoking cannabis when he was 11, before moving on to heavier drugs such as cocaine, “magic mushrooms” and finally heroin when he was 15.
He noted that Mr O’Connell came from a dysfunctional family.
He has more than 60 previous convictions, including for assault causing harm and attempted murder after he tried to shoot Clinton McCormack outside his Bray home in 2016.
He was jailed for 12 years for that act in 2018, but was released in May last year.
Solicitor for the accused Brendan Maloney informed the court that his client left the jurisdiction and travelled to Northern Ireland as, after serving a long period of imprisonment, he became addicted to drugs again and wanted to “kick the habit”.
He told the court that he was instructed to seek a custodial sentence so Mr O’Connell could address his addiction while in custody.
The matter was adjourned for sentencing until Monday, May 25.