A Dublin man who raped two women after breaking into their homes has been sentenced to twenty years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court.
David McCartan (21) of Casement Road, Finglas, pleaded guilty to two charges each of rape and burglary to commit rape and one charge of oral rape on May 3rd 2007 and August 31st, 2008. He had previous convictions for minor public order offences.
Mr Justice Carney jailed him for ten years for each rape to run consecutively. He also ordered ten years post-release supervision.
He commented that there was a credible threat to kill in the first rape and he had "permanently disrupted and, in fact, ruined both women's lives."
"It is a highly aggravating factor in the first case that the accused disclosed that he had planned the violation for some time and had been awaiting his opportunity," Mr Justice Carney said.
"It took place in what should have been the comfort and security of their own homes, particularly in the first case where she lived with her children."
In sentencing he took into account McCartan's early guilty plea, remorse and young age.
In the first offence, a 41-year-old mother of two had woken up to find McCartan standing in her bedroom. She had been attending her aunt's funeral earlier that day and had gone to bed early because she was feeling ill. She was alone in the house at the time.
McCartan put his hand over her mouth, pushed her back on the bed, told her to stay quiet and raped her. He told her afterwards "I've wanted to do you for a long time" before he threatened to kill her children if she reported him to the gardai.
That woman told the court last Monday that she had tried to kill herself seven months after the rape because she did want to live anymore.
The year after this rape, while on bail for this offence, McCartan climbed into a a third story flat where he raped a 21-year-old girl having beaten up her boyfriend and dragged her from their bedroom. He was armed with a fork at the time that he had taken from their kitchen.
The victim later told gardai that she could clearly see the name "David" tattooed on the man's arm but he had his face covered with a bandana.