Damien Long sentenced to eight years for rape of teenager, with final year suspended

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Damien Long was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping a teenager, with the final 12 months suspended. He had been convicted after pleading not guilty to the offence, which occurred on an unknown date in 2018.

The Central Criminal Court heard that Long pinned down the then 17-year-old after she said she did not want sex. Justice Mary Ellen Ring described rape as an act of violence of the most invasive nature and said Long’s degrading language aggravated the offence. She also noted his attitude to the incident, his continued claim of innocence and lack of remorse.

The judge set a nine-year headline sentence before reducing it to eight years. Long must engage with the Probation Service for 12 months under the suspension conditions and have no contact with the woman while in custody or for five years after his release.