'Impossible to work out' actions of Westmeath rapist says psychologist

One of the country’s leading forensic psychologists has said the man responsible for raping two girls, aged six and nine, in Westmeath may not have been motivated by sexual desire but by an overwhelming urge to be violent.

There has been widespread public revulsion at his crimes, with even Mr Justice Paul Carney saying he found it too upsetting to recite the facts of the case.

Dr Patrick Randall said the 30-year-old, who was handed two life sentences on Monday, “may have used the girls as a way of directing his anger at society”.

“It is impossible to work out why this man did he what he did. There is no typical profile of a sex offender and we did not have enough evidence to say he is a paedophile even though he raped a child. The diagnostic criteria around paedophilia are quite specific and you would need to identify a pattern of being attracted to children. We haven’t seen this here,” he said.

“What you would wonder is was he motivated primarily by an urge to be violent? Was he emotionally overwhelmed with anger and this was a way of directing his anger at society? Of aiming it at the most innocent? Was it the laughter from the party that irritated him? Did he look at the carefree children with jealousy or anger? This could be a swipe at society where he depersonalised the children.”

The father of two, who was homeless at the time of the attack, had just been released from prison days earlier and had been arrested by gardaí the night previous for a public order offence. He had spent the day drinking cider and popping valium before he pounced on the two young girls.

But while having served up to 10 jail sentences for assault, burglary and possession of weapons in the previous 11 years, the 30-year- old was never before charged or convicted of sexual abuse. However, he had been questioned about crimes against women and a sexual attack on a teenage girl.

Rape Crisis Network spokeswoman, Cliona Saidlear and director of the Cork Rape Crisis Centre, Mary Crilly said if the man was solely motivated by a sexual urge, he most likely has assaulted and raped women before. Reporting rates and convictions rates for rape and sexual abuse are notoriously low.

Dr Handell said: “A lot of sexual abuse can take place within families and they keep it secret or else deal with it within the family without alerting gardaí.”

Mary Crilly said she would not be surprised if more victims come forward as the man’s name will be known in the locality.

Dr Handell said sex offenders are hard to profile but typically have problems forming stable, intimate relationships and have offended previously before being caught. They can also display hostility towards women and generally reject society, he said. They may also engage in deviant sexual practices, use sex as a method of coping and can be preoccupied with sex.

The risk assessment tools which are also used to assess the likelihood of a sex offender reoffending also point to poor problem- solving skills and a lack of concern for others.