Judge Reduces Sentence In Rape Case Againt Newbridge Soldier, Describes It As "Isolated Incident"

Friday, 17 January 2025 14:51

By Martin Osborne

Alan O’Connor (38) of Acorn Downes, Newbridge, maintains his innocence.

A Defence Forces member from Newbridge has been sentenced to five years in prison for raping his partner’s long-term friend, Siobhan Murphy, in Portarlington in 2020.

Alan O’Connor (38) of Acorn Downes, Newbridge, maintains his innocence.

The court heard that Murphy, who waived her anonymity, trusted O’Connor as a longtime acquaintance.

The offence occurred after Murphy stayed at the home O’Connor shared with his partner, where they had been drinking. She awoke to find O’Connor assaulting her.

Passing sentence, Judge Kerida Naidoo considered a number of mitigating factors, including O’Connor’s lack of prior convictions, recent medical issues, and positive societal contributions.

The judge, according to the Irish Independent, said it was an "isolated incident", before reducing a seven-and-a-half year sentence to five years.

Murphy described the assault as a betrayal of trust and a violation of her person.

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