Man sentenced to 13-years over violent sexual assault

A man has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for a violent sexual assault on his former partner after the trial in Dublin heard that the injuries to the woman were so serious that surgeons treating her were surpised she was still alive.

Walter Morrissey (70) of Upper Bridge Street, Callan in Kilkenny was found guilty of leaving his former partner with life threatening injuries following an aggravated sexual assault at his home.

The Central Criminal Court heard medical evidence from gynaecologist Dr Ray O'Sullivan who said a six centimetre rip in the woman's body was an injury more likely to be seen in woman raped with machetes in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Justice George Birmingham called Morrissey a cunning, devious and manipulative man who represents a significant threat to public.

He said he was particularly concerned by his previous conviction for a double manslaughter and his conviction for seven counts of indecent assault of a woman.

Detective Garda Frank McKenna told Vincent Heneghan BL, prosecuting, that the indecent assaults in 1999 were of a similar nature to this assault and involved penetration of the vagina with fists or an object.

Morrissey had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to aggravated sexual assault and intentionally or recklessly causing the woman serious harm in a Kilkenny town on dates between December 1st and December 8th, 2011.

Mr Heneghan told the court that the victim has no objection to Morrissey being publicly named.

Morrissey had previously fired his legal team. Today he made his own brief plea of mitigation before sentencing in which he said he was trained in IUI (intrauterine insemination).

He also said he was very pleased that the victim was healthy and that he tried to help her in every way. He smiled and waved at reporters as prison officers led him from the court room.

The trial had heard evidence form Detective Garda McKenna said that after his arrest, Morrissey denied he had caused the injuries but admitted he had an interest in “amateur gynaecology”.

The victim told the trial that she woke up in the early hours of the morning to find a man putting his fist into her and twisting it around.

“He put his whole fist inside me. It was the worst pain I ever felt in my life. I could feel his hand twist inside me. I pulled his hand out of me,” she said.

She said there was blood rushing from her and she thought she was haemorrhaging. Morrissey called a GP but the woman refused to go to hospital when an ambulance crew came.

Morrissey called the GP again the next day when the woman was semi-conscious. Mr Justice Birmingham said that these calls were perhaps self motivated.The victim spent four months in hospital recovering.

The woman told the trial that the accused offered her €10,000 to have a child for him.

“He offered me €10,000 if I had a kid for him. He said I could have a child for him and go away,” she said.

Morrissey told her if she didn’t have sex with him, “she knew where the door was”.

“He said if I didn’t do those things he’d show me the door and I’d have nowhere to live,” she told the court.

“Sometimes I’d have to drink to do some of the things he’d want me to do.”

The victim told a doctor that she was regularly sexually assaulted with fists and plastic objects, including a turkey baster.

The trial heard detailed medical evidence in relation to the life threatening injuries sustained by the victim.

Dr Ray O’Sullivan told Paddy McCarthy SC, prosecuting, “It was such an unusual injury, one that I had rarely seen in my 20 years working.”