Outrage

It's not very often I comment on news items, but this one has got my blood boiling.

Here is a summary from the Irish Times:

"Victim condemns rape sentence

A rape victim who watched her attacker walk free from court with a suspended sentence today said she will never trust the justice system again.

The devastated woman, who said she felt on trial, was even forced to travel back to her home town on the same train as convicted rapist Adam Keane.

The 33-year-old had vowed to take her fight for justice and a tougher sentence to the Director of Public Prosecutions and Justice Minister Michael McDowell.

"I will never ever again trust the justice system to do right after a wrong has been committed," she said, slamming the sentence handed down to the 20-year-old bricklayer.

In February a jury convicted Keane, from Daragh, Co Clare, of raping the woman at her home on May 30th, 2005.

He had broken into her home and climbed into bed with her while her three children slept in the next room.

DNA evidence linked Keane to the scene, but following his arrest he told gardai he could not remember anything as he blacked out after drinking heavily and taking ecstasy in a nightclub.

Mr Justice Paul Carney handed down a three-year suspended sentence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday. The sentence was based on a previous ruling by the Court of Criminal Appeal, he added.

The victim, who is deaf, said she could not hear his barrister's defence or the judge's comments, and did not know he was free to leave until her sister started crying and told her.

"I am devastated," the woman, whose name was given as Mary, told RTE's Liveline programme.

"I really didn't want it go to court in February in the first place. It was the hardest week of my life, to go up in that stand and give every detail of my life explored by the DPP and his barrister and when he was found guilty I was so relieved and I really believed justice would be done.

"But yesterday it wasn't, there was no justice done for me at all and now I'm back to square one where I was when I first got raped. I feel worse now."

Mary said that after the attack she and her children had to leave their home, where they had lived for nine years, and moved back in with her parents because she was afraid. The family have since moved home twice."

I'm lost for words to express my outrage at the sentence passed by the judge. I think this judge should be sacked! There has been a lot of press lately about lenient sentencing, but this is completely outrageous. What hope is there in a world where a convicted rapist can walk free, while his victim continues to live in fear?