A Kerry man has been jailed for 11 years for rape, organising prostitution, and intimidation.
The sentencing judge said it was chilling to see the man’s calculated and menacing coercion of a vulnerable young woman.
The victim, who was a sex worker, said she cannot stop thinking about the day she was raped by 28-year-old Emmet O’Connor of Shronemore, Rathmore.
The Irish Examiner reports that Mr Justice Michael White said it was one of the more serious cases he has had to deal with.
He sentenced Emmett O’Connor to eight years on each of two counts of rape, two years consecutive for organising prostitution, and one year consecutive for intimidating his victim.
The judge said he saluted the 34-year-old victim’s unique courage.
He said Mr O’Connor began to organise and direct her prostitution with “increasing coercion, control and exploitation for monetary gain.”
Emmett O’Connor admitted getting his girlfriend to arrange for herself and her mother to lie to gardaí in relation to alibi evidence for the accused on the date of the rapes – September 25th, 2017.
Both women later admitted they lied and the defendant admitted being responsible for their lies.
Senior counsel for the defendant, Colman Cody said the accused accepted the verdict in relation to organising prostitution but maintained his innocence on the two rape and the intimidation convictions.
Mr Cody said Emmet O’Connor had been subjected to bullying and humiliating treatment in school and that testimonials from family and friends had shown him to be a generous friend and father.
