Jonathan Moran (26) sentenced to eight years in prison for raping a woman with a bottle in a shed

Jonathan (Johnny) Moran, of Tower View, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of section 4 rape of Bláthnaid Raleigh for using a bottle during the assault and aggravated sexual assault in a garden shed in Galway on 21 July 2019.

Ms Raleigh waived her anonymity so that Moran (26) could be named in reporting on the case.

Since Moran was sentenced last month, Ms Raleigh said she wanted to “stand by and advocate for other victims of sexual violence”, knowing that not every victim will be able to see their attacker convicted.

Bláthnaid Raleigh on the famous rugby player who raped her with a bottle

Mrs Raleigh is also from Mullingar and Moran played rugby with her brothers in the local club. He has since been expelled from the club. She was with a friend at the Arts Festival in Galway when they happened to bump into Moran and other people from her home town.

The rape occurred after Ms Raleigh returned with Moran and several other young people to the Airbnb accommodation where Moran and his friends had stayed that weekend.

Moran claimed the sex acts that night were consensual and denied using any instruments in the assault on Ms Raleigh. Her DNA was found on the mouth of three plastic liquor bottles following a forensic examination of the shed.

The court found that Ms Raleigh had suffered serious physical injuries which required months of treatment on the sexual offences unit.

Ms Raleigh read her victim impact statement into the record. She said she had not felt comfortable using the word rape until she had “received confirmation from the court” but the conviction at trial now allows her to use it. She told Moran she was “passing the shame back on you”.

She said that before the attack she was a typical 21-year-old in her final year of college “finding her way into adulthood” and described herself as “carefree and fun”. She said that after the attack, “her life was completely destroyed”.

Ms Raleigh referred to the physical injuries she suffered as a result of the attack, which resulted in her needing months of “invasive and ongoing” treatment at the sex offender treatment unit. “It was a constant and physical reminder of the damage that was being done to my body,” she said.

She said she still suffers from the pain of those injuries and described “endless sleepless nights, vivid nightmares and flashbacks.”

“I don’t enjoy normal things anymore – my body doesn’t enjoy new things anymore,” Ms Raleigh said.

She said the attack “still haunts my daily life” and she fears that “men see her as damaged goods.”

Ms Raleigh said the attack had “destroyed my life because someone decided to hurt me”, adding that she no longer enjoys going out because she is constantly worried about the safety of those around her.

She said that she never felt safe, but that Moran has been “living a normal life since the incident.”

Ms Raleigh said her family had been her biggest support before she realised the impact the attack had had on her life. She said her brothers left the rugby club they had played for for 20 years as Moran was at the same club.

She said she experienced “fear, anger, grief and loss.” She said the process “felt so pointless” at times, but she was “so grateful to those 12 people, who believed me.”

Ms Raleigh said she hoped to be a “support and advocate for other victims of sexual violence” before acknowledging that some people do not get as far as she did and her attacker is convicted.

Ms Raleigh thanked the Rape Victim Crisis Centre and the Gardaí.

“There are physical and emotional scars that need to heal,” Ms Raleigh said, adding that when she tells people what happened to her, they tell her she is so strong.

“I don’t want to be strong. I feel betrayed because this is my life,” Ms Raleigh said, before describing how something can trigger her, leading to trouble sleeping.

She said she is now moving on to the next phase of her life.

Judge Tony Hunt revoked Moran’s bail and remanded him in custody pending sentencing on July 1.

Garda Sharon Noone told Conor Devally SC, prosecuting, that Ms Raleigh arrived at the Garda station in the early hours of July 21, 2019, in “significant distress”. She had been led there by three strangers who had found her in a nearby street.

She later gave a statement to police in which she explained that she had travelled to Galway for the Arts Festival that weekend with a friend and had happened to meet several people there who she knew from Mullingar, including Moran.

Her friend left with someone else she knew, and Ms. Raleigh stayed with the group. She later decided to return to the Airbnb where Moran was staying. Later that evening, she went with Moran to a garden shed on the property.

Gda Noone agreed that the door in the shed was locked and Mrs Raleigh was unable to open it.

Moran “roughly assaulted her” and tried to have sex with her by pushing her head against the shed door. She was unable to move or hold on to anything and was trapped in the shed, Gda Noone said.

It was dark inside the cottage, but Mrs Raleigh felt as though bottles were being used against her and she was in a lot of pain. The attack ended when voices were heard outside in the garden.

The lawyer said Ms Raleigh later testified that when she left the shed she “initially concealed her distress,” went to a bathroom to examine herself, packed up her belongings and then left the property.

She was unaware of where she was and in great distress before she was escorted to the nearby Garda station and made her report. The Gardaí responded immediately and the garden shed was secured as a crime scene within minutes of her arrival at the station.

Gda Noone agreed that Moran maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He has no previous convictions and has never come to the attention of the Garda. He has complied with all bail conditions.

Gda Noone agreed with Ms Murphy that her client comes from a hard-working family and has been employed full-time for a long time.

He was deemed to have cooperated with the Garda investigation and court proceedings following his arrest.

Ms Murphy referred to a probation report before the court which classified her client as a “moderate risk of reoffending” and asked the court to accept his cooperation with the Garda investigation.

Fiona Murphy SC, defending, said her client had “found it difficult to come to terms with the case” but now accepted the jury’s verdicts and was remorseful. The court heard he had no previous convictions and came from a good, hard-working family.

Moran was sentenced to nine years in prison, with the final year suspended.