Court jails man who prepared 'rape-kit' for victim

A former shop security man who ambushed a young Polish woman and dragged her to where he had prepared a special “rape-kit” has today received a 12-year sentence with the last three years suspended.

Mr Justice Paul Carney described the crimes as “the upper end of the scale” since Russell Murray’s “rape-kit” contained three prepared strips of duct tape, Vaseline, toilet roll, a dog lead, rope and red saw handle.

Mr Justice Carney recalled how Murray (aged 33) told gardaí that his intention was to “grab a girl, the first girl who came along and commit oral rape and use the handle of the saw to (perform two separate sexual acts).”

Murray, of Clydagh, Moycullen but originally from Glenshane Park, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to assaulting and attempting to rape the woman at a housing estate in the early hours of April 8, 2009. He has some previous minor road traffic convictions.

Detective Garda Barry Carolan revealed that Murray grabbed the 24-year-old Polish victim as she walked to work and dragged her to where he had packed the kit in a rucksack, but she quickly escaped her assailant’s grasp when she pulled the balaclava off his head.

Det Gda Carolan told Mr Gerard Clarke SC, prosecuting, that gardaí thought they were dealing with a mugging until they found the rucksack and assorted “rape-kit”.

Det Gda Carolan said colleagues arrested Murray when he returned to the estate later that day and gave them a false account of why he had left his van at the scene.

He claimed he had left his van behind on the way into town because it had run out of diesel and he could not afford to fill it up.

Det Gda Carolan said gardaí knew from a neighbour’s account that the van had arrived in the area shortly before the incident.

He said Murray told gardaí after arrest that he had initially intended to mug someone but got a “sexual urge” to rape a woman.

He said he had long fantasised about bondage and fetish and admitted having ropes at the scene to restrain a potential victim.

Murray said he had intended to use the Vaseline and red saw handle to perform sexual acts on the first woman he encountered.

Det Gda Carolan said Murray was “ambiguous” as to what he would have done with a potential victim after he had raped her.

He told gardaí: “It wasn’t in my mind to hurt her but it’s hard to say.”

Murray also told gardaí that he had never tied up a person before.

The detective garda said colleagues found a digital camera card, containing graphic up skirt images of women in Galway pubs and clubs, on Murray on his arrest.

Det Gda Carolan revealed that Murray had moved to Galway as a young teenager when the rest of his siblings were taken into care, both his parents had been alcoholics and he lived rough in hostels for most of his youth.

The detective garda agreed with Mr Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, that his client made admissions in interview and entered a guilty plea as soon as he could.

He agreed Murray described having sexual urges which kept him awake and restless at night and made him miss “appointments, dates and people”.

He further agreed Murray mentioned being on tablets at the time but had thought these were either not working or too strong.

Det Gda Carolan agreed that Murray’s choice of victim had been random, that he had known the area from previously living at the estate and that he later expressed remorse for his actions.

He agreed that Murray had had past mental health issues and that there had been schizophrenia in his family.

Mr O’Higgins submitted to Mr Justice Carney that his client had demonstrated remorse and regret for his actions during interview.

He submitted Murray’s actions had been “planned but not well planned” in that his victim had been chosen at random.

Mr Justice Carney jailed Murray for 12 years for the attempted rape with the final three years suspended and five years for assault causing harm to run concurrently.

He also ordered that Murray undergoes eight years of post-release supervision and declared him a sex offender.