Court increases rapist’s prison term to 19 years
A MAN jailed for the rape and sexual assault of a woman whose child he abducted in the same incident has had his 15year prison sentence increased to 19 following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Michael Murray (46), formerly of Killiney Oaks, Killiney, in Dublin, was jailed for 15 years for rape, attempted rape, oral rape and aggravated sexual assault, child abduction, threats to kill or cause serious harm, false imprisonment and theft at a Dublin apartment on February 12-13 in 2010.
The Central Criminal Court heard that Murray had lured his female victim into an apartment by telling her that an elderly woman was dying inside and needed her help.
He tied her up and assaulted her before taking her son (4) away and abandoning him in a city centre square late at night.
He returned to the flat where he drugged and raped his victim. Murray had denied the charges.
However, he was found guilty on all counts by a unanimous jury verdict.
The DPP successfully sought a review of Murray’s 15-year prison sentence on grounds that it was “unduly lenient”.
Setting aside Murray’s 15-year sentence yesterday, the three-judge Court of Appeal substituted a sentence of 19 years to begin from the same date.
Giving judgment, Mr Justice George Birmingham said that in the Court of Appeal’s view, the combination of the appalling nature of the offence, Murray’s very significant prior record and the “complete absence of mitigation” meant the sentence was “inadequate to a significant extent”.
He said it was “immediately apparent” Murray had an “appalling record”.
Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards, said a sentence of 20 or 21 years would have been appropriate and the three-judge court would have imposed this sentence had it been called on to do so at the first instance.