Rapist ‘befriended’ victim before savage assault
The woman managed to escape from a bathroom after an ordeal of several hours, and ran completely naked to a house for help.
Louis Sheils, of Clifton Crescent, Newcastle, Galway, fled the flat before gardaí arrived but was arrested two days later in Killarney with sterling and a bus ticket to Belfast in his possession.
Sheils pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape, oral rape, and false imprisonment of the girl at his rented accommodation on Jun 5, 2011. He has been in custody since his arrest two days later.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said the case was “one of the worst of its type to come before the court” and merited a sentence of 15 years on the rape charges. He suspended the final three years after taking account of the mitigating circumstances.
The judge imposed an eight-year concurrent sentence for the charge of false imprisonment. He declared Sheils a sex offender and ordered 18 months’ post-release supervision.
Conor Devally SC, prosecuting, said the DPP’s view was that the parameters of the offence were “at the very highest level”.
Sheils is a British national who moved to Corofin, Co Clare, with his family 17 years ago. He moved to Ennis in 2006 before living at various addresses in Galway.
Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, submitted a number of testimonials on behalf of Sheils, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. He also submitted a letter of apology from his client.
Mr O’Higgins said Sheils’ offending on the night was “tempered by some humanity” when he fetched some frozen peas from the fridge for his victim’s wounds.
Supt Gerard Roche told Mr Devally that a group of women were celebrating their friend’s hen party at a nightclub in Galway City.
During the night, the victim became separated from her friends after losing her mobile phone. She was feeling slightly unwell due to medication she had taken.
Outside the club, she was “befriended” by Sheils, who expressed concern for her predicament. He stayed with her until they got a taxi and at no stage was there any intimacy between them.
Sheils brought the woman to his accommodation and told her she could make a phone call. The woman said she might try to get home the next morning.
When she lay down on the sofa, the woman had a sense Sheils was fumbling with her clothes and asked him to stop, then pushed him off. She was violently thrown onto her front and told not to scream. When she did so, Sheils punched her in the face.
He began to squeeze her throat hard. She felt she was going to choke and was at all times trying to fight.
The woman said she began to understand if she was quiet he would stop. He instructed her to take off her clothes, and in fear she did so.
Sheils raped the woman before turning her over and entering her from behind.
She was aware of her blood dripping from her face onto the sofa, as well as Sheils hitting her backside and, although she had no concept of time, she felt it lasted about half an hour.
Sheils got off her and went for a cigarette, then raped her again when he brought her to the shower.
After this, she fell into some sort of slumber, and woke again when Sheils resumed the rape at 7am, with his arm across her throat. The woman recalled telling herself to allow it to happen so it might end quicker.
Afterwards she had to go to the toilet but Sheils went with her and later made her give him further oral sex. Sheils then made a final attempt to have sex with her and when he finally ejaculated it seemed to bring things to an end.
The woman was aware this was an opportunity to escape, and got out the bathroom window before running completely naked to houses 50 yards away.
She was treated in hospital but had difficulty in isolating where she had been. However, she later accompanied gardaí back to the area.
The events occurred between 3.30am, when she was last seen in Eyre Square, Galway, and 10am when gardaí were alerted.
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