Driver jailed for rape and sexual assault of teenage girl

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

A man who drove a car in which a teenage girl was raped was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with the final year suspended. Justice Tara Burns imposed the sentence at the Central Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 2 June 2022.

The driver and three other men pleaded not guilty to charges arising from the events in the midlands on 27 December 2016. A jury convicted the driver of raping the then 17-year-old girl at a remote spot in Kilbeggan and sexually assaulting her during the journey there.

The defendants’ lawyers said their position was that some alleged sexual acts had not taken place and that their clients believed any acts that did occur were consensual. The jury also returned not guilty verdicts on a number of charges.

The driver told gardaí he had not had sex with the girl, that she had consented and had not said stop. He also said she was very drunk and did not know “what, where, how”.

Justice Burns imposed concurrent sentences on some of the men for sexual assaults during the journey from Tullamore to Kilbeggan.