Martin Stokes sentenced to 12 years with final two suspended for rape

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

Martin Stokes, 24, received a 12-year prison sentence, with the last two years suspended under strict conditions, for raping a girl aged 14. Mr Justice Carroll Moran sentenced him on 7 August 2015.

The attack took place in a field after the girl had been walking to a friend’s home. A jury convicted Stokes on 4 August 2015 after a trial lasting 17 days.

According to the report, DNA evidence connected Stokes to the rape, while about 10 witnesses placed him nearby at the relevant time. He first denied knowing the girl. At his second trial, he instead maintained that they had sex consensually.

The conditions barred Stokes from contacting the girl or her family, including on social media, and required him to register his address with gardaí following release. He initially refused to swear compliance but agreed after consulting his counsel.

In her victim impact statement, the girl described panic attacks, anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts following the rape. She said she and her family had moved to another town because of the attack.

The prosecution said the girl wanted Stokes publicly identified. The defence argued that naming him would harm his family, but the judge rejected that argument as insufficient.

Defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC said no apology could be offered because Stokes rejected the jury’s verdict and planned to appeal.