A man who raped his partner when she was sleeping and was later caught by gardaí trying to strangle her has been jailed for 10 years.
Patrick Ward (36), of no fixed abode in Dublin 1, regularly self-harmed and made suicide attempts in front of the woman in an attempt to control her, the Central Criminal Court heard.
Patricia McLaughlin SC, prosecuting, told the court the woman wished for Ward to be named in reports of the case, but did not want to be named herself. Counsel said the woman was confident that naming Ward would not identify her.
Ward pleaded guilty to one count of raping the woman in her apartment between April 28th and May 4th last year.
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Ward has 98 previous convictions, including for sexually assaulting a woman and a teenage girl in two separate incidents while they slept.
The Central Criminal Court heard how Ward and the woman (41) met in 2023 and he moved into her apartment shortly afterwards. He was a registered sex offender, but failed to tell gardaí about his change of address. He had recently been released from a lengthy prison sentence for one of the sexual assault matters.
On May 21st last year gardaí responded to a 999 call. They arrived at the apartment and found Ward on top of the woman, strangling her. He was arrested at the scene, the court heard.
The woman had walked into a city-centre Garda station earlier that day to state she was in fear of Ward, but she was put out of the station for smoking. When she returned home Ward started attacking her.
When the woman made a statement to gardaí, she outlined a history of abuse and an incident of rape that had occurred a few weeks prior.
The court heard she became aware Ward had raped her as she slept after she found a video recording of what happened on his phone. She forwarded it to herself before he deleted it.
In a victim impact statement, which she read out in court, the woman said she struggled with anxiety and night terrors and said she lost her apartment and her job as a result of the trauma inflicted on her.
She said she felt humiliated and disgusted by his actions and said the images she saw when he self-harmed in front of her would never leave her.
Michael Lynn SC, defending, asked the court to consider that his client was “on the cusp now” and at a juncture in his life where he had demonstrated a change in mindset and a desire to rehabilitate.
Counsel said this was evident by Ward’s plea of guilt and remorse which his psychologist was confident was credible.
Sentencing Ward on Monday, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said the rape was committed for his sexual gratification and that he strangled the woman out of anger and to impose control over her.
She said the offence warranted a headline sentence of 16 years, taking into account the “immense breach of trust involved” and the fact that offences occurred in the woman’s home.
She acknowledged Ward grew up in a difficult environment where abuse of alcohol was the norm. She acknowledged he has since demonstrated remorse and has accepted responsibility.
Ms Justice Greally reduced the headline sentence to 11-and-half years, suspending the final 18 months on strict conditions including that Ward engage with the Probation Service for 18 months and undergo any courses as recommended by them.
She also ordered Ward not to have any contact either directly or indirectly with the woman or members of her family for the next 40 years.
