Minister hints at changes to bail laws after rape horror
THE fact that vicious sex attacker Eoin Berkeley was in breach of bail conditions when he raped a Spanish student is to be investigated by senior gardaí.
And the Government has hinted that if bail laws need to be changed again, then this might be considered in light of the appalling case.
Berkeley, who was jailed on Thursday for 14 years, had been on bail in July last year for an offence of criminal damage when
Bailed man attacked woman
he savagely raped a ‘naive’ 18year-old woman.
Previously, he had been seen by gardaí flouting his bail conditions, sources told the Mail, but no move was made to have his bail revoked.
Gardaí have now launched a high-level inquiry into why this happened, and it will also look at information sharing between different Garda divisions. Heading the probe will be Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region, Pat Leahy.
A spokesman told the Mail: ‘An assistant commissioner has been appointed to examine the policing issues raised during the court case which concluded... with the conviction and sentencing of Eoin Berkeley.
‘The assistant commissioner will examine issues such as communications between divisions in Dublin city centre and Garda monitoring of bail conditions of the convicted individual. The review will establish the lessons to be learnt and whether changes to processes are needed.’
It emerged on Thursday that Berkeley had been on bail at the time of the rape after being charged over homophobic graffiti on the facade of a gay bar in Dublin two months earlier.
He had appeared at the District Court in May 2017 charged with criminal damage but was granted bail on condition he stay out of the Dublin 2 area, stay sober and be of good behaviour. At the time, District Judge Deirdre Gearty had warned Berkeley he risked being held on remand in prison if he broke the bail terms.
Berkeley, however, ignored the judge’s warning and over the following weeks was seen by gardaí repeatedly flouting the bail conditions by being in Dublin 2.
On two occasions on June and July he was spotted opposite The George gay bar which he had allegedly vandalised. No move was made to revoke his bail.
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: ‘I am very concerned at reports regarding the bail situation. Legislation in this area is always under review and if legislative change is necessary, I would be very happy to have a look at it.’
He said he hoped Mr Leahy’s inquiry ‘will be done at the earliest opportunity and that the matter can be examined in full’.
Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan said the Government must ‘recognise the public’s legitimate concerns’ about bail.