8 years for beating and trying to rape student

A construction worker who viciously beat and attempted to rape an 18-year-old student has been given an eight-year sentence.

Lithuanian Arunas Cervinskas, aged 32, attacked the woman after she encountered him on her way home alone.

Gardaí were able to track him through his phone number, as the woman had given him her number just prior to the offence and he had called her mobile to verify it was correct.

The woman suffered a broken nose, fractured jaw, and shattered eye socket. She also suffered significant bruising to her head, neck, and chest, and a cut which required stitching.

Cervinskas, of Shanliss Avenue, Santry, pleaded guilty to attempted rape of the woman on May 18, 2006, in a Dublin suburb.

Mr Justice George Birmingham said the victim was “young, frail, slight, and vulnerable”. He noted she had been drinking and was alone in an open space.

The judge said the level of violence in the case was “quite shocking” and that the photos of the victim taken by gardaí after the attack were “horrific to view”.

He noted that the incident had and continues to have a serious impact on the victim.

Mr Justice Birmingham imposed an eight-year sentence and suspended the final nine months.

He backdated the sentence to when Cervinskas went into custody in Nov 2011 and ordered three years’ post-release supervision. Cervinskas has also been certified as a sex offender.