Woman praised for fighting off sex attacker

A young woman has been praised by a judge for her bravery in fighting off a sex attacker who had dragged her to the ground on the green of a south Dublin housing estate.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring said if it had not been for the woman’s “fortitude” and “bravery in fighting off” Mark Curneen, aged 24, he would be in a different court facing different charges.

Judge Ring sentenced Curneen, of Marfield Gardens, Johnstown Rd, Cabinteely, to three-and-a-half years in prison. She suspended the last two years of the sentence on strict conditions, including that he seek treatment which the judge said would benefit both him and the community.