Irish nurse jailed for rape in Australia

AN Irish woman has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for raping another woman in a Brisbane hotel in 2009.

Anne-Marie O’Loughlin, a nurse from Offaly who was in the Australian city on a working holiday visa, was found guilty of two counts of digital rape of the woman and one count of deprivation of her liberty last November.

During her trial, it was alleged that O’Loughlin first kissed her victim, who kissed back in a bid to get past her and out of the toilets of the hotel.

The court was told that when the victim tried to leave, O’Loughlin grabbed her hair, slammed her head into a wall and pulled her into a toilet cubicle.

O’Loughlin then put her hand down the woman’s jeans, which were open as a result of going to the toilet, and raped her with her finger.

The victim tried to alert the person in the next cubicle as to what was happening. That person was then heard to say “I’m getting security”.

At that point O’Loughlin left the bar and tried to leave the scene in a taxi. However, the victim’s husband, on hearing what had happened, stopped the taxi and the police were called.

When she was later interviewed in police custody, O’Loughlin said she did not recall kissing the woman, but admitted it was possible. The 25-year-old also claimed it was not in her nature to force someone to have sex with her.

She also told officers she got “loopy” when she drank wine with other alcohol.

While found guilty of the rape and deprivation of liberty counts, she was cleared of a charge of sexual assault.

A number of references were submitted to the court vouching for Anne-Marie O’Loughlin’s good character. One of those references came from Fine Gael TD, Charlie Flanagan, a friend of O’Loughlin’s family.

Yesterday he defended his decision to offer a convicted rapist his support.

“I know the girl and have known her family for years,” he said. “They are people of integrity in the community. I would not attempt to interfere with the course of justice. She had been convicted. I had no difficulty in advocating on behalf of a constituent.”

However, Clíona Saidléar of the Rape Crisis Network was critical of Mr Flanagan’s intervention. She said those interventions caused trauma to the victims yet did little to influence the sentencing process.

At Anne-Marie O’Loughlin’s sentencing yesterday, the judge David Reid said evidence the Offaly woman had overpowered her victim suggested “persistent sexual aggression”.

“This is a tragic event for all concerned,” Judge Reid added.

He informed O’Loughlin that upon her release from prison she would likely be deported back to Ireland.

Her barrister Damien Walsh told the court his client had lodged an appeal against her conviction.