Cork man (25) jailed for raping teen (17) as she walked home

Olivia Kelleher

A 25-year-old man who subjected a 17-year-old student to a 20-minute ordeal when he dragged her into a secluded grassy area of an estate in West Cork and raped her has been jailed for six years.

Kyle Hayes Condon of Pairc an Tobair in Clonakilty, Co Cork, appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Cork on Monday for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to counts of rape, sexual assault, assault causing harm and false imprisonment of the teenager.

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford previously heard evidence in the case from Det Garda Lisa O’Sullivan.

She said that that incident occurred in the early hours of February 16th of this year, when the young woman got a lift home from a party. The injured party walked the last section of the journey home.

She was nearly at her house when Mr Hayes Condon started following her and speaking to her. The girl was recording a Snapchat message at the time and she allowed the recording to continue so that she could capture his voice.

Ms Justice Lankford noted that Mr Hayes Condon was “after an enormous amount of cocaine” on the night of the attack having made his way through about seven bags of the drug.

Mr Hayes Condon offered the teenager, who was not known to him, some cocaine. He then grabbed her from behind and dragged her on to a grassy area. She begged him to release her but he told her to “shut up” and tore off her underwear before going on to rape her.

Ms Justice Lankford said that young girl was “terrified and believed she was about to be killed.”

20 minutes later Mr Hayes Condon told the girl she could leave the area. When she arrived home at about 3am she informed her parents what had occurred.

She was subsequently examined at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit and a formal report was made to gardaí about the incident.

In a victim impact statement, the young girl said that she found it difficult to out of bed for weeks after she was raped by Kyle Hayes Condon.

“I was in bed most of the day. I was sleeping a lot more than usual. I was barely speaking to friends and family.

"(Now) I can’t even leave the house by myself without feeling like something like this might happen again. I feel unsafe walking alone.”

The teenager said when that when she returned home on the night she was raped she noticed that she had “scratches, bruises and cuts” on her body.

“Seeing these on my body made me feel disgusting. Like I was used as a rag doll. I had pain all over my body. In my back and my legs and I had endless headaches. No one should have to lay there in fear that they might not make it home.”

The injured party said that her own house was within sight when she was dragged in to the grassy area by Mr Hayes Condon, who started doing “the most unimaginable things” to her.

“It made me feel so defeated. If it can happen so close to home it can happen anywhere.”

She emphasised that as a teenager you should be able to “live your life to the fullest.”

“I was and I still try but there’s some things I cannot do. I used to be able to talk to anyone who I come across. Now I feel on edge anytime a man comes close to me that I don’t know.”

The girl urged others in her position to “speak up” as they are “not alone’ before expressing thanks for the support she has received since the incident.

Meanwhile, defence barrister, Elizabeth O’Connell, SC, said that her client was very ashamed of his actions on the night.

She indicated that he told gardaí that if there was any difference between what the teenager said and what he said, then her account of the night should be accepted as the truth.

Ms Justice Lankford praised the teenager for her “quick wittedness” in deciding to record the voice of the man.

She said it was also “astute” of her to film him as he walked ahead of her on the road prior to the incident.

Mr Hayes Condon made full admissions to gardaí and signed a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

He has been in custody since the 19th of February last. Ms Justice Lankford noted that he had declined to make an application for bail because he was so ashamed of his actions.

Mr Hayes Condon wrote a letter of apology to the victim in the case. Ms Justice Lankford stated that his remorse appeared to be genuine. She noted his good work history and the fact that he had a drug debt at the time of the offence.

In sentencing Mr Hayes Condon, she described the offence as “serious”, but accepted as mitigating factors the guilty plea and immediate acceptance of wrongdoing.

She said that teenager had been at the receiving end of a violent incident in which she was treated with degradation.

Ms Justice Lankford jailed Mr Hayes Condon for seven years suspending the last year of the sentence.

She directed that he not have any contact with the victim in the case for 40 years after his release from prison. She stressed that this should be taken to mean forever.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.