Murderer admits rape of French student
Gerald Barry, 29, of Rosan Glas, Rahoon, pleaded guilty to raping the then 21-year-old woman in Galway city on August 16, 2007. A charge of theft in relation to the victim’s personal belongings was taken into account.
The rape occurred less than two months before he stalked and murdered the Swiss teenager.
Barry is serving a life sentence following his conviction by a jury of murdering Ms Riedo.
Mr Justice Paul Carney adjourned sentencing to later this week at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Galway.
Detective Inspector Gerard Roche told Paul Burns, prosecuting, the victim was walking home from a night out with friends when Barry grabbed her and put a knife to her throat. He smashed her phone and dragged her into a nearby GAA pitch.
Barry told her he wanted to have sex with her and threatened to kill her if she did not do what he asked.
She begged him not to rape her but he placed the knife to her throat while warning her not to look at him, and again threatening to kill her if she did.
Barry then raped the woman and threatened to kill her if she reported him to gardaí. He then raped her again while he hit her on the back of the head.
Det Insp Roche said at this point, a person came through the field and Barry made the woman get dressed and pretend that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. He put his arm around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.
Barry then made “a deal” with the victim that if she had sex with him he would let her go but afterwards he refused to do so and instead raped her twice more.
Det Insp Roche said Barry threatened the woman at all times he would kill her.
The day after the attack the woman went to hospital and was so traumatised she could not recount to staff what had happened. She had to write down, “I was raped”, on a piece of paper.
She was initially too terrified to report the rape to the gardaí because Barry had threatened to kill her if she did but she eventually made a full statement.
Det Insp Roche read from the victim impact report in which the student described Barry as “a predator”.
“He is not a human or a man. He is a liar, a rapist and a murderer. I beg you not to let him out because he will do it again,” she said.
“I am surprised that I am still alive. Why was I let go? Why I am still breathing?”
She described Barry as perpetrating “disgusting, bad actions on other people” and asked “how can he sleep at night, be living, breathing, walking, laughing, and listening to music?”
Det Insp Roche told Mr Burns that after raping the student, Barry assaulted his ex-partner at her home.
She was able to give gardaí a description of what he was wearing that night, which matched that detailed by the victim and led to Barry’s arrest on August 18, 2007.
Barry later refused to participate in an identity parade that day and refused to give a blood sample but allowed gardaí to take a DNA sample from his mouth.
The following day, he appeared at district court in relation to the attack on his partner. Gardaí objected to bail, but it was granted.
Gardaí were investigating the rape of the French student when Barry murdered Ms Riedo. He was later charged in relation to this rape after his DNA profile matched semen found on the victim’s clothing.
Det Insp Roche said Barry had a number of previous convictions apart from the murder of Ms Riedo, including a five-year sentence for violent disorder during which a young Galway man was killed and a serious assault on an elderly man that left him blind.
He had been placed on the sex offenders’ register in 2006 after he was jailed for six months in relation to a sexual assault.
Martin Giblin, defending, told Mr Justice Carney, that Barry “deeply regrets what he has done”.
“He has now had time to reflect on his actions and the impact he has had on his victims,” Mr Giblin said.
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