Man jailed for attempting to break in to woman's home to rape her

He was caught during a Garda surveillance operation, which had been set up following harassment of his victim 

James Steele of Reavilleen, Roscarberry, Co Cork, was sentenced to seven years with the last two years suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Picture: Cork Courts Limited

A 52-year-old man who became obsessed with a woman went on to harass and threaten to rape her. 

However, he was caught in a Garda surveillance operation as he was about to break into her home to carry out his threats.

James Steele of Reavilleen, Rosscarbery, Co Cork, was sentenced to seven years, with the last two years suspended, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Steele apologised to the victim, Una Ring. He pleaded guilty to attempting to break in to commit rape at her home in Youghal, where she lives with her adult son and daughter. He also admitted harassment and related charges.

The court heard details of the various incidents of harassment that led to the surveillance being set up on Ms Ring's home.

Steele had left black envelopes with letters on the windscreen of her car on earlier occasions, where he had set out in horrific detail his threats to rape her.

On another occasion he painted the four tyres of her car pink.

Sergeant John Sharkey said Garda James Heffernan was on surveillance duty in the housing estate in the early hours of last July 27 when he saw the accused arriving in the area, hiding behind a parked van and then walking towards the victim’s house.

He was masked with a hat and snood. He had orange rope and duct tape in his pockets. He also had a metal crowbar. He had a dildo or prosthetic penis strapped to himself inside his pants.

He had been remanded in custody since that night.

Defence senior counsel Tom Creed said of the accused man: “He could only put it down to obsession.” 

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin described the crime as dramatic and horrific as he jailed Steele and ordered him to have no contact of any kind with the victim and her family “in effect, ever again".

“This is a very worrying case with many aggravating factions — the length of time over which events went on, the nature of preparations taken, the level of deviousness involved," he said. "It goes significantly beyond a case of harassment.

“Obsession worked itself out in a worryingly dramatic and dangerous manner, with upsetting and vile letters and texts. There was no relationship between these parties at all.

“There was overbearing intrusion and more and more obsession. Threats to kill and threats to rape bring this case to a different level.

“There was an escalating level of preparedness, with the buying of rope and duct tape and implements to effect a burglary.

“This was an invasion of this lady’s home, her privacy, her individuality. That is extremely serious — even the indication while this was occurring, that ‘You are being watched and there is nothing you can do about it’. Threats to rape and details set out in letters are quite horrific.” 

The judge said it was fortunate the victim had reported her concerns to gardaí and, with their advice, she installed CCTV at her home. Ultimately gardaí set up nightly surveillance at her home, believing Steele would arrive to carry out his threats, and he did.

“This man was working out his compunction and he was getting more and more out of control. With the level of premeditation, he seemed to be losing the potential to stop. The victim is correct — he had plenty of opportunity to desist; he lives an hour’s drive away.

“He was caught red-handed. At the time, he had fully worked out these dangerous illusions. He was fully equipped for burglary and his intention to rape.” 

Sgt Sharkey said there was no question of Ms Ring ever having had a friendship, let alone a relationship, with Steele. She knew him for about 18 months through work and their contact was cordial and professional. However, in February 2020 he made an amorous advance by embracing her and trying to kiss her, but she extricated herself from this.

In the following months he texted her. These included apologies and one in which he said he was going to call to her house. She replied to that one saying not to call. She began to feel fearful in April.

From the beginning of July, the harassment escalated. On different dates, Steele turned up outside her house during the night. He painted the four tyres of her car pink. He painted Xs and Os on the small framed windows of her house and painted the words, ‘I win’, on the windowsill.

Twice black envelopes were left with sexually disturbing messages in unsigned letters. One envelope had two condoms in sealed wrappers. He said he would come to her house and they could have consensual sex and, if not, he would rape her. In another, he threatened to rape her and her adult daughter.

“No need to contact gardaí, this will happen,” he wrote. He also said he would paint her front door pink. She felt physically sick and called to the gardaí again. She believed the person on the CCTV on this last occasion was Steele.

On the fourth night of Garda surveillance, at 3.45am on July 27, Steele arrived and was arrested by Garda James Heffernan. He first claimed he was going to break into a car, but later admitted what he was doing. At that point, gardaí found the hat, face covering, snood, gloves, two-foot crowbar or nailbar, orange rope and duct tape.

“During the search at Midleton Garda Station, he was wearing an 11-inch prosthetic penis or dildo strapped to his body. It was covered with a condom. It was outside his underwear. [Later] he said the reason he wore this was part of a joke,” Sgt Sharkey said.

At interview he said, “He knew she [the victim] would be mortified, scared, and frightened by the content of the letters.” 

Steele has a family in Rosscarbery. He is originally from Australia, where he was fined back in 1986 for an indecent assault.