A Co Cork man "with a fondness for alcohol" has been jailed for four years for the aggravated sexual assault of a woman he met hours earlier at a Kinsale disco. Brendan Buckley was also given a concurrent three-year sentence by Mr Justice Smith at the Central Criminal Court for attempting to rape the woman on the same occasion.
Buckley (28), a cobbler, with a current address at The Miles, Clonakilty, Co Cork, was found guilty of the charges by a jury in a four-day trial in December. The father of two young children was acquitted by the jury of raping the woman on the same occasion, March 22nd, 1997.
He had denied the charges during his trial and claimed the woman had consented to sex with him and been eager for it, but through his counsel he told the court he regretted the effect his actions had had on the woman and accepted full responsibility for it.
Mr Justice Smith noted that a psychiatric report revealed his victim was suffering from post traumatic anxiety which was a common sequela to sexual assault. She felt it had interfered with her relationship with men.
The judge noted also that he had received many testimonials describing Buckley as an honest, diligent worker but one who had a fondness for alcohol. The probation report showed Buckley was "in the throes of alcohol" when he committed the offences.
Defence counsel Mr Anthony Sammon SC said his client now fully realised he had a fundamental problem with alcohol and must give up drink altogether. Buckley had asked him to express his "heartfelt regret" for violating the victim the way he did and for what he had put her through. He exempted her completely from all blame for it.