Attacker struck twice within an hour

A Dubliner who attacked two women on the streets of Cork within less than an hour of each other, after pretending to be lost, was jailed for four years as he was described as a high risk of carrying out further violent and sexual assaults.

Dubliner Dylan Byrne, aged 20, with an address at 41 Embassy Manor, Kill, Co Kildare, was jailed for five years with the final year suspended.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin told the court: “This is a very frightening set of circumstances, two innocent women going home at night from work were violently put upon by this man.

“The alarming aspect of the case is the two incidents occurred on the same night, within 40 minutes, at different locations in the city.

“In the second one, he made violent efforts to drag the lady into a dark lane. The propensity was there for both attacks to get worse, save and except for the arrival of passersby.

“Both victim impact statements are testimony to the grave effect the man had on the victim, which was to scare and undermine them.”

The judge said he previously adjourned sentencing to explore the issue of risk into the future.

“My fears were well founded. He is described as a high risk of sexual and non-sexual violence and reoffending,” he said.

Defence barrister, Paula McCarthy, said: “He has put himself on sex offenders programme, he has signed up to see the prison psychiatrist and the seriousness of it has dawned on him.

“He is 21, originally from Dublin. He pleaded guilty at earliest opportunity. He made full admissions and accepts responsibility.

“He expressed remorse and apologises unreservedly to the girls.”

Det Garda Colin Green- way had told the court that the modus operandi was the same in both cases.

Byrne told each woman that he was down from Dublin, had become separated from his friends and needed directions to Shandon St. He then attacked.

The second of the two incidents occurred shortly after a young woman crossed Nano Nagle footbridge from Grand Parade to Sullivan’s Quay after coming off a night shift. Det Garda Greenway said that as she began to tell him how to get there he punched her five times in the head and dragged her a short distance up Sober Lane.

He warned: “If you keep screaming I will slit your fucking throat.” He later asked her if she wanted to live. He also prized her legs apart and told her he wanted a kiss and she agreed hoping that this would stop him getting more violent. He then told her he wanted “a proper fucking kiss”.

Another man passed the opening to the laneway and the attacker fled the scene at this point.

The man who arrived on the scene arranged to get the victim to hospital.

Byrne later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the student at Sullivan’s Quay in Cork and assault causing harm to her. He also admitted assault causing harm to another woman on the same occasion, November 3 2013, at Bridge St, 40 minutes earlier.

The attack in that case was physical and again he threatened to slit her throat. When someone arrived on the scene, he fled.

The victim got into her car was so shaken and terrified she was not even able to start the car. As she tried to compose herself, Byrne arrived back outside the car and looked menacingly through the window. She managed to drive away.