A former RUC officer who assaulted a Dublin prostitute causing her serious harm has been jailed for three years by Miss Justice Carroll at the Central Criminal Court.
Trevor Scobie (39), of Coleraine, Co Derry, was convicted by a jury on February 14th of assault causing harm to the woman on November 27th, 1999, at Wolfe Tone Quay, Dublin.
Miss Justice Carroll said nothing excused the assault on a vulnerable member of society, and the offence merited a custodial sentence. She noted the victim was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress as a result and had tried to take her own life several times since.
Miss Justice Carroll said that while €5,000 had been offered as compensation to the victim, it would not be made possible for Scobie to "buy his way out of prison" and she hoped he would give the victim the money despite the custodial sentence.
Scobie's counsel, Mr Gerard Clarke SC, had told the judge that in addition to the €5,000 immediately available, a further €5,000 would be paid "relatively soon". He said the money was a genuine expression of Scobie's remorse and not related to any prison sentence he might receive.
Garda James Kirwan told Mr Michael Durack SC, prosecuting, that Scobie had six previous convictions, all of which related to road traffic offences.
Two related to an accident in the Coleraine area on March 13th, 1992, when the car Scobie was driving crashed into a minibus, and 10 people were injured.
Garda Kirwan said the passenger in Scobie's car, a fellow RUC officer, was paralysed as a result of his injuries. Scobie received a two-year suspended sentence for reckless driving, causing grievous bodily harm.
Miss Justice Carroll said she was not taking these offences into account as they were not of the same nature as the assault.
The victim, who has now given up prostitution and is on a methadone programme to treat a chronic heroin addiction, told the jury during the five-day trial in February that she worked then as a prostitute to feed her habit.
When Scobie, a truck-driver at the time, had asked her for "business" she had agreed.
She was in the process of having sex with him when she heard him remove his condom. She said she refused to continue until he put it back on. She said Scobie then flew into a rage and began to hit her on the face and body. He also bit her and scratched her breasts and thighs.