“Dangerous sex offender” Denis O’Donovan sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman – The Irish Times

‘Dangerous sex offender’ Denis O’Donovan was today sentenced to seven years in prison, with the final six months suspended, after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman.

O’Donovan (38), a father of one from Ballyryan, Donohill, Co Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to five offences at his trial last April.

A jury found him guilty on four counts, including false imprisonment, two counts of sexual assault and assault. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on one count of sexual assault.

Limerick District Criminal Court heard that on the evening of January 17, 2020, O’Donovan drove to the woman’s home, located in a remote rural area of ​​County Limerick, and knocked on the front door of her property.

When the woman opened the door, no one was there. However, when she spotted a car in the front yard with the engine running and headlights on, O’Donovan “pulled” her into his car.

O’Donovan drove the woman and himself at high speed to a remote rest area, where he sexually assaulted and strangled her in his car.

O’Donovan “put his arm around her (the woman’s) throat and threw her between two seats, leaving her terrified,” said Judge Dermot Sheahan.

“She was crying and screaming and praying to God that he (O’Donovan) would stop. She said she thought she was going to die.”

Judge Sheehan said O’Donovan used “significant force” in sexually assaulting the woman.

“He clearly hindered the victim during the sexual assault, which occurred while he was choking the victim. The victim was terrified and that trauma has stayed with her.”

The judge said O’Donovan “tied up and choked” the victim during the sexual abuse.

The attacks were “degrading and humiliating” for the victim, as O’Donovan “used force to restrain her, choked her and abused her.”

The woman was eventually able to escape “in fear and terror” when O’Donovan “changed his position” in the car during the attack.

The victim suffered bruises to her neck and genitals, as well as cuts and scars during the attacks when she jumped into a ditch and hid from O’Donovan.

After his arrest, when questioned by the Garda, O’Donovan falsely claimed that he had only come to the house to unload cannabis.

Eventually, charges were brought against him after forensic tests found his DNA on the woman’s clothing.

O’Donovan, who is addicted to alcohol, had drunk five pints of stout and four cans of cider before calling the woman at home.

When the woman read her victim impact statement to the court, she said it was an “absolutely horrific, traumatizing, degrading and disgusting” ordeal.

“After the attack, I couldn’t eat or sleep. I lay awake at night listening, afraid he would come back. A year after the attack, I could no longer cope with the trauma. I was suicidal and wanted to kill myself. I had planned everything. I had a breakdown and ended up in hospital, where I spent weeks in a closed psychiatric facility.

“Since the attack, I have suffered from panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares almost daily and have been unable to leave my home because the fear and panic were overwhelming. I used to be a happy, confident person who enjoyed being outside, hiking and walking, and now I have not been able to leave my house for years. I have lost everything I enjoyed about life.”

“After all that, it felt like another attack that he had to put me through a trial that was so daunting as I had never been in court before in my life. Having to sit there and listen to his outrageous and disgusting lies was horrifying for me,” she said.

The judge lifted reporting restrictions on O’Donovan on May 17 after the woman said she wanted people to know his name and actions.

“He is a dangerous sex offender and everyone should know his name,” the woman told the judge.

O’Donovan, who had 39 previous convictions, was out on bail at the time for an aggravated burglary. He had used an “axe” to break into another woman’s house and chased her up the stairs, but left the house without harming her as she was not his intended target. He received a three-year suspended sentence for the offence.

Judge Sheehan said the death of his mother when he was four had hit O’Donovan hard and his family remained willing to support him following his release from prison.

After Judge Sheahan announced the sentence against O’Donovan, he stated that he would have to attend an alcohol rehabilitation course to get his addiction under control.

He has placed O’Donovan on the sex offenders’ register.