Man jailed for six years for ‘shocking, brutal and cowardly sexual assault’ on woman walking her dog

A man who carried out a “shocking, brutal and cowardly sexual assault” on an “unsuspecting woman” walking her dog in a Cork park has been jailed for six years.

Vadim Veste (28), of Clancy Street, Fermoy, pleaded guilty before the Central Criminal Court to aggravated sexual assault of the woman, who is aged in her 50s, at St Colman’s Park in Fermoy, on November 7th, 2021.

At a previous sentence hearing at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, the court heard Veste travelled to Ireland just 18 days after being released from prison where he had served a sentence for the rape of a minor.

Veste, a dual Moldovan-Romanian national, served a three-year prison sentence for the rape of the 14-year-old girl in eastern Europe in July 2016.

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He was released from custody on December 11th, 2020 and travelled to Ireland to stay with his mother on December 29th.

Sentencing Veste on Monday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said it was a “shocking, brutal and cowardly sexual assault which was violent, degrading and humiliating and left the woman with nasty injuries”. He said the attack had been on an unsuspecting woman and noted Veste’s history of serious sexual offending.

He said the woman had been out walking her dog on a dark evening around 6pm when she was pulled forcibly to the ground. He said Veste used a hat as a gag to prevent the woman crying out and used his knees to hold her down by her shoulders. He touched her outside of her underwear.

“It was a terrifying experience”, the judge said.

He said the woman believed she was going to be raped and murdered.

The judge commented on the woman’s bravery in fighting back against Veste, scratching his face and neck, biting and kicking him. She also screamed, which drew the attention of two young Polish men who had been jogging nearby who then came to her assistance.

Mr Justice McDermott noted that Veste’s DNA was later found under the fingernails of the woman.

He said he saw photos of what he described as the “shocking” injuries sustained by the woman and he added the impact of such an attack should never be underestimated.

“It had a terrible effect on her at the time and subsequently,” the judge said, adding that it generated fear not only that evening but also led to a fear that persists.

He said it impacted her safety and contentment in doing the most simple of things like going for a walk with her dog and said it had “seeped” into her sense of security.

The judge said the consideration of CCTV footage from the local area led to the arrest of Veste. He said the man initially suggested that he had a row with the woman about her dog.

Mr Justice McDermott said he had to consider the fact that Veste had a previous conviction for the rape of a 14-year-old.

Mr Justice McDermott said the aggravating features in the current case included the random and predatory nature of the attack and the fact that the woman was attacked from behind when she was alone in the dark.

He set a headline sentence of nine years before he took into account the mitigating features in the case, including an expression of remorse from the man.

However, the judge said a report from the Probation Service raised a serious concern as he believed it showed “a lack of insight and acceptance of what he has done” in relation to the sexual element of the offence.

The judge said Veste clearly needs to have his offending addressed and said that the man also seems to have “a particular attitude towards women”.

He sentenced Veste to six years and six months in prison before he suspended the final six months for two years on strict conditions including that he attend for any treatment as deemed appropriate by the Probation Service.

Mr Justice McDermott also ordered that the man not approach the victim or her family and ordered that he have no unsupervised access to children. He placed him under a six-year post release supervision order “for the protection of society and to prevent future offending”.