An FCA corporal who raped a woman private after a Mass for deceased FCA members in the midlands was jailed for seven years yesterday.
Mr Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan described rape as "the foulest of offences" and noted the 23-year-old man still did not accept he was guilty of the offence.
The judge said the woman had been "shattered" when she left the witness box after giving evidence in his trial in June.
The defendant suggested to her in "torturous examination - through his counsel - that she was a liar and a woman who would have casual sex", the judge said.
He added that he had no option but to impose such a sentence "as a lesson to you and a warning to others". The Central Criminal Court heard the defendant had two children by different women. Both long-term relationships had ended in the same way with barring orders being taken against him. He had six previous convictions, including sentences for breaching a barring order, taking a car and criminal damage. These incidents were drink-related and occurred after the rape.
A jury found him guilty of raping the 22-year-old victim in a building next to a hotel on November 19th, 1995.
The man cannot be named to protect the victim's identity.
During the three-day trial the jury heard both the defendant and the victim had a meal in the hotel for FCA members who had attended the Mass and stayed into the evening drinking with other colleagues.
The court heard the defendant asked the woman to accompany him outside to reprimand her "for letting down the uniform" by kissing another colleague in the hotel foyer. He also wanted to tell her to "cop herself on" as she had a boyfriend who might find out she was kissing another person.
The woman said he went to kiss her and she tried to push him away.
She pointed out he had a girlfriend but he did not seem concerned about this. He dragged her to a building and put his hand over her mouth to stifle her screams as he raped her.
The defendant claimed she had consented to sexual intercourse.