Rapist and murderer who abused young cousin in Longford will need close monitoring, judge warns

Eimear Dodd

A judge has said a convicted rapist and murderer who sexually abused his cousin almost 40 years ago is a “very dangerous man” and will require close monitoring if he is ever released from custody.

Patrick Rea (55) is currently serving a life sentence for murder, following a conviction in the Edinburgh High Court in 2011. He was repatriated to serve this sentence here in June 2014.

The Central Criminal Court heard his 23 other convictions include one for rape, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison in 1997. His convictions also include one from 2015 for failure to notify under the Sex Offenders Act for an offence date in 2008, theft and road traffic offences.

Dean Kelly SC, prosecuting, told the court at an earlier sentence hearing that the victim, Donna Fahy, wished to waive her right to anonymity so that Rea could be identified in reporting of the case.

Rea, who is currently in custody in the Midlands Prison, was convicted of one count of rape and two of indecently assaulting Ms Fahy following a trial in January.

All of this offending took place on dates between October 1986 and December 1989 at an address in Longford Town, when Ms Fahy was aged between five and seven. Rea was then aged between 16 and 19.

Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said these offences took place against a “very young child” who suffered a “traumatising and terrifying experience at the time, which have had a long-lasting effect on her life.”

He said Rea “betrayed any conceivable notion of trust” or care that exists between family members, that he took advantage of the injured party’s vulnerable situation, and that the evidence suggested he knew what he was doing was wrong.

Mr Justice McDermott said the court had to take into account that Rea was under 18 and legally a child for some of the period when this offending occurred.

He also noted reports state that Rea had mental health issues at the time, adding that these documents do not suggest that Rea had a mental disorder and did not know what he was doing was wrong.

The judge said he would set a headline sentence of 14 years for an adult, which he reduced to 12 years to take account of Rea’s age at the time.

Mr Justice McDermott said there was little mitigation, noting that Rea went on to carry out other serious offences.

He imposed a concurrent sentence of 12 years backdated to January 23 last, noting that the court may not impose a consecutive sentence to life imprisonment.

The judge said that Rea has “proven himself to be a very dangerous man, capable of the most serious offending”.

Mr Justice McDermott said the court could have viewed this case as exceptional and imposed another life sentence due to Rea’s history of offending. He said the court had decided not to do this, noting Rea’s youth at the time and the guidance of higher courts in relation to young offenders.

The judge said Rea is a “dangerous offender who will need close monitoring in future” and directed post-release supervision for life.

He imposed several conditions including that Rea has no contact with the injured party and no contact with a child unless in the presence of another adult.

Reading her victim impact statement during an earlier hearing, Ms Fahy said she is now married with children and grandchildren.

She said she “never chose to become a victim, it was forced into my life, my family’s life, my marriage and children’s life”.

She said she was “given a life sentence of nightmares” at the “tender age of five” that she will have to endure for the rest of her life.

She said that “survival doesn't mean I walked away untouched”, adding that she did not go back to who she was before, but has had to learn to live as someone else.

“Survival is choosing to keep going”, she said, later adding “I didn’t get a soft life. I got chaos and betrayal. I learnt to be a person I didn’t choose to be”.

“I’m not strong, I’m just good at being hyper-vigilant”.

Addressing Rea, she said: “you have no remorse, guilt or shame for what you did to me”.

“You are a foul, disgusting human being”, she said, adding that he was a “coward, a monster” who “thrives on disempowering women and children.”

She said she has survived, is taking her power back and refuses to live the rest of her life in fear or silence.