A 19-year-old Tipperary man has been jailed for five years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court for aggravated sexual assault on a Cork woman in September 2000.
David Power, with an address at Brittas, Thurles, Co Tipperary, jumped on her as she was walking home from work on Stable Lane, off Copley Street, Cork city on September 29th, 2000.
"He is an evil man who I have no doubt will re-offend. I want justice for what he has done to me and prevent it from happening to another woman," the victim told Mr Justice Carney.
She added: "I would like to see him sent to prison forever".
The woman said she now suffered from depression and was constantly nervous, whereas she had once been a confident woman with a promising career before her. She was unable to continue her managerial level career in recruitment.
"I could not handle coming into contact with so many people any more. I have been unemployed for a year now", she added.
Mr Justice Carney said the sentence would not have been as high if he had not heard from the victim herself.
"I have seen her demeanour and her distress. As she has said, she lost a year of her life. He threatened to kill her. It was a credible threat." Mr Justice Careny suspended the last year of the sentence taking into consideration Power's early plea of guilty which prevented the matter from going to trial. Det Garda Gerard O'Callghan told prosecuting counsel Mr Patrick J McCarthy SC that Power forced the victim to the ground, tore her clothes off and attempted to rape her.
He also slapped her heavily across the face, the impact of which forced her head to bang on the ground. Power then threatened to kill her and forced his hands down her throat to prevent her from shouting for help. The attack only stopped when two passersby came across the scene and frightened Power away.
Mr Tom Creed SC, defending, said Power came from a family with a long history of sexual abuse. Power was sexually abused by his grandfather and was in need of psychiatric help.