Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Outcry over rape sentence
I share the sense of outrage expressed by the Irish political parties today over the disgraceful suspended sentence given to a man convicted of rape yesterday.Adam Keane, 20, of Barnageeha, Daragh, was given a three-year suspended sentence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Monday.
Yesterday, his victim, Mary Shannon, waived her right to anonymity to plead with the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the three-year suspended sentence handed down to Keane.
Ms Shannon, a mother of three, spoke on RTE's Liveline of her devastation that the man who broke into her home and raped her was given such a lenient sentence.
Not only that but Ms Shannon had to suffer the indignity of having to share a train with her rapist on the way back from the case.
Fine Gael have called for action on the issue saying this case will result in fewer women reporting rape then ever before. Progressive Democrat TD Mae Sexton agrees and has demanded the introduction of sentencing guidelines for sexual offences. She said the Oireachtas and the Government had a responsibility to protect victims of serious sexual assault and that there needed to be mandatory sentencing for rape.
The Minister for the Environment Dick Roche backed the calls for a mandatory prison sentence for rape. He said he believed the court decision had sent out the wrong signal and that rape is "a crime that has to be dealt with."
The Rape Crisis Network weighed in on the matter too expressing its concern for what this sentence sends out to potential sex offenders.
Ms Shannon - let down by the law
I will try to keep my cool as I talk about this issue but I must say I am furious at this joke of a "sentence". Here is the situation as explained on RTE's Six One News yesterday - Adam Keane broke into a mother of three's home in the early hours of the morning, he proceeded to rape her while she slept, he gave a 'not guilty' plea in court on account of having been on drink and drugs, he was found GUILTY by a jury and yet he has been allowed to WALK by the judge - Mr 'Justice' Paul Carney.
Have you ever heard such madness in all your life?
Well, sadly, it seems we hear about cases like this in Ireland every couple of months in every year. The judicial system in this country is fast becoming an absolute farce.
There is NO justice here. None whatsoever. I find this whole thing staggering. This does indeed send out an appalling signal to potential sex offenders - bascially just get off your face on drink and/or drugs and feel free to engage in any sick and twisted deeds you can think of because the spineless judges in this country will let you off the hook.
The guy broke into the woman's home, which is a crime, and then proceeded to commit a far worse crime and while he was found GUILTY by the jury, he gets handed a "suspended sentence"? What the hell? Let's face it, that's not even a sentence. I'm disgusted the woman then had to share a train home with the animal. This is what we're calling justice now?
Justice Carney should be disrobed for his staggering ineptitude and incompetence. I feel very sorry for this poor woman who felt she had to go public just to shed some light on what was an injustice of epic proportions.
Ten of the jury deemed Keane guilty but Carney stepped in and labelled the crime "out of character" and said Keane "came from a respectable home". We hear this line peddled far too often to allow scumbags escape a prison term. Even a three year custodial sentence, which would have been very lenient for someone breaking into a home and raping the occupant, would have been preferable to the "sentence" handed out to Keane by Justice Paul Carney.
I am sick and tired of this bloody country siding with the perpetrators of crime rather than the victims. This sentence makes me sick to my stomach.
What a travesty.
# posted by United Irelander @ 6:52 PM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
