Tinder rapist says jail term too harsh as DPP pushes to increase it
A SERIAL sex offender has appealed against the severity of his 14-year sentence for attacking women he met through Tinder.
The State has counter appealed, arguing that the sentence, of which the final two years were suspended, was too lenient.
Patrick Nevin, 38, attacked three women during their first meetings in the space of 11 days in July 2014. The sentencing court for two of these attacks heard that he had a preoccupation with sex and hostility towards women, and was at a high risk of re-offending.
Nevin had pleaded guilty to raping one woman at Bellewstown, Co. Meath, on July 12, 2014, and to sexual assault four days later of a second woman, also in Meath.
The father-of-two had been due to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court, but changed his pleas to guilty following a legal ruling, which would allow the prosecution to introduce evidence from the third woman describing sexual assault by Nevin on a first date.
The court heard the rapist, previously of Meadowlands Court, Mounttown Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, and Dundalk, Co. Louth, met both women in this case on Tinder. Justice Eileen Creedon imposed a 14-year sentence but suspended two years.
The computer programmer was previously sentenced to five-anda-half years in prison for the sexual assault of his third Tinder victim. This offence took place at the UCD campus on July 23 of that year. The attacker appealed that conviction, but subsequently withdrew his appeal.
Cathleen Noctor SC yesterday appealed the undue leniency of the 14-year sentence for the other cases on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
She said that the judge had erred in failing to identify an appropriate starting point at a higher level than the 15 years she set before considering mitigation.
Ms Noctor said that the judge had not considered a number of aggravating factors. These included: a campaign of offences just days apart; his tricking of the victims into positions of vulnerability by driving them to remote locations; the fact that he had carried out the attacks while under a suspended sentence for possession of a firearm, and, lastly, the element of premeditation.
Another aggravating factor not reflected in the sentence, she said, was his convictions for causing serious harm and threatening to kill a female, for which he had been sentenced to seven years.
‘This clearly brings this offence well into the category of between 15 years and life,’ she submitted.
In response to a question by Judge Isobel Kennedy, she said that the recording of 44 minutes of one of the attacks on Nevin’s phone was an aggravating factor.
‘It’s degrading and humiliating of itself,’ she said, and confirmed that no reason had been given for making this recording.
Michael Bowman SC made counter arguments on behalf of Nevin.
‘No matter what way you look at it, the DPP is arguing for what she already has,’ he said, giving examples of much shorter sentences for what he said were similar crimes.
He referred to Nevin’s tricking of the women into positions of vulnerability by having them get into his car. He noted that they had not been taken against their will.
The defendant did not accept there was premeditation. The headline sentence was actually excessive, Mr Bowman said.
Court president Judge George Birmingham said a decision would be given today.
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