Raped woman feared being murdered

A 19-year-old woman, raped in a north Cork town in an early hours attack, was afraid to cry out in fear of being murdered or thrown into the river.

The victim had wept throughout her violent sexual attack in the Kanturk area, in which she was kicked repeatedly in the face and vagina, sexually assaulted and orally raped, according to Garda evidence yesterday.

Sylvster Torrens, 32, with an address at Spring Lane, Blackpool, Cork, who raped and attacked her, threatened to kill his victim if she did not do what he demanded in the early hours of Mar 18, 2011.

Torrens, the court ruled, can be identified but nothing that would identify the victim can be published.

Garda Michelle Power said the defendant and the injured party walked out of Kanturk together that night and engaged in conversation after which Torrens made advances towards her.

She pushed him away and, after some conversation, she felt concerned and decided to walk back towards the town in the belief she would be safer with a lot of members of the public present.

“She crossed over the road. She heard him follow behind her. He grabbed her in a headlock and pulled her down to a park area. He pushed her on to the grass,” Garda Power said.

During the physical attack that followed, he punched and kicked her repeatedly in the face, bursting her lip and he also kicked her vagina.

“She was afraid. He told her he was going to kill her if she didn’t do what he wanted. She was afraid he was going to throw her in the river. He sat on top of her, moved up to her head, he put his penis in her mouth and moved up and down. He ejaculated in her mouth.

“He removed all her clothes, he fondled her breasts and spread her legs. His total weight was on her body.

“Following this, he got off and apologised to her. He said not to say anything to anyone but it didn’t matter because he would be gone in the morning. He told her to wait for 10 minutes,” Garda Power said.

She partially dressed, leaving underclothes at the scene, and ran to a house.

The woman did not want to make a victim impact statement but Garda Power said the victim had lost a lot of weight since, has become distant from her own family and friends and did not go out much socially.

Torrens pleaded guilty to raping the woman by penetrating her mouth with his penis, sexually assaulting her and assault, causing harm.

Defence senior counsel James O’Mahony said Torrens went to the Garda station immediately afterwards and reported he had assaulted the woman, whom he named, and had taken her clothes off but said nothing of the rape or sexual assaults.

“He is anxious to take on a sex programme in prison. He is entirely remorseful and apologises to the unfortunate victim and her family.

“He is anxious to put this matter behind him,” Mr O’Mahony SC said.

Mr Justice Paul Carney adjourned sentencing of Torrens until July 16, at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.