Rapist who beat victim to a pulp jailed for 7 years

A rapist was jailed yesterday for seven years for what the sentencing judge described as a horrific rape where the victim was beaten to a pulp.

Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a total sentence of 10 years on Sylvster Torrens, aged 32, with an address at Spring Lane, Blackpool, Cork, with the last three years suspended on condition that he would stay away from the victim in perpetuity.

The judge said at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork that the facts of the rape were horrific and that threats were made by Torrens to kill the woman throughout the violent attack where he beat her to a pulp.

“The explanation of why this occurred is to be found primarily in the probation report which indicates the accused was drinking, taking cocaine and also took a tablet he got in a pub without knowing what it was.

“Those who take heavy quantities of drink and cocaine and in particular those who take tablets, the properties of which they do not know, can expect to end up charged with homicide or rape.

“In favour of the accused, I take account of his plea of guilty which came very late in the day and his lack of any particularly relevant convictions.

“His going to the Garda station [he admitted a physical but not a sexual attack on the night] I don’t attach much weight to that. That was done for his own protection,” the judge said.

The victim wept throughout the sexual attack in which she was kicked repeatedly in the face and vagina, sexually assaulted, and orally raped, according to Garda evidence of the crime in the early hours of Mar 18, 2011.

Garda Michelle Power said the defendant and the injured party walked out of Kanturk together that night and engaged in conversation after which Torrens made advances towards her.

She pushed him away and after some conversation she felt concerned and decided to walk back towards the town in the belief that she would be safer with a lot of members of the public present.

“She crossed over the road. She heard him follow behind her. He grabbed her in a head- lock and pulled her down to the park area. He pushed her on to the grass,” said the garda.

During the physical attack that followed, he punched and kicked her repeatedly in the face, bursting her lip. He also kicked her vagina.

“She was afraid. He told her he was going to kill her if she didn’t do what he wanted. She was afraid he was going to throw her in the river.”

He orally raped her. Then “he removed all her clothes, he fondled her breasts, and spread her legs. His total weight was on her body. Following this he got off [her] and apologised to her. He said not to say anything to anyone but it didn’t matter because he would be gone in the morning. He told her to wait for 10 minutes,” said the garda.

She partially dressed, leaving underclothes at the scene, and ran to a house. The young woman did not want to make a victim impact statement but Garda Power said the young woman had lost a lot of weight since, has become distant from her own family and friends, and did not go out much socially.

Torrens pleaded guilty to raping the woman by penetrating her mouth with his penis, sexually assaulting the same victim, and assault causing harm to the woman.

He was sentenced to 10 years with three suspended on the rape and two concurrent five- year terms on the other two charges.