A long road that has been worthwhile, says rape victim

THE Court of Criminal Appeal has imposed a seven-year jail sentence on Co Clare bricklayer Adam Keane for the rape of a woman while she slept after finding that the initial three-year suspended sentenced he received was “unduly lenient”.

Following the court’s decision yesterday Keane’s victim, mother-of-three Mary Shannon, expressed her relief at the lengthening of her attacker’s sentence.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had appealed the initial sentence imposed by Mr Justice Paul Carney on Keane, aged 21, of Barnageeha, Daragh, Co Clare, for the rape of Ms Shannon, 33, also from Daragh, in a house in a Co Clare town on May 30, 2005. Counsel for Keane had opposed the application.

Yesterday the three judge Court of Criminal Appeal, comprising of the Chief Justice Mr Justice John Murray, sitting with Mr Justice Peter Charleton and Ms Justice Mary Irvine, found that the original sentence was unduly lenient and that the trial judge had erred in imposing a suspended sentence.

In its place the court imposed a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, with the final three years suspended.

Keane was also placed on the sex offenders’ register.

In a statement issued on behalf on Ms Shannon, who was in court with members of her family, she welcomed the court’s decision.

She said that it had been “a long road”, but that it had been “worthwhile”. She also said that she hoped the decision “would encourage other victims to seek justice”.

Ms Shannon, who had waived her right to anonymity, also called on the Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan to take steps “to rectify the serious flaws” in the legal system and ensure that in the future no person that is guilty of rape is allowed to “walk free from the courts” again.

The statement added that no victim should have to go the lengths to get justice that she had to.

Ms Shannon also thanked the media, the gardaí and her family and friends for all their support.

Mr Justice Murray said that the court was “quite satisfied” that the circumstances of the offence “merited a custodial sentence”.

The chief justice said it “was aggravated by the fact that the victim, a mother of three young children, was raped in her own bed in her own home in close proximity to her children by someone who had illegally entered it during the early hours of the morning”.

A crime of this nature, he added, “makes others feel unsafe”.

The court said that the incident had “very serious and continuing consequences” on the victim and her family.

Ms Shannon had moved out of her home of nine years and had not returned because she found it distressing to do so.

“In effect she and her children were driven from her home and neighbourhood” by Keane’s actions.

“All this seems to have been ignored by the trial judge [Mr Justice Carney],” said the chief justice.