Former soldier jailed for raping partner’s younger sisters

A FORMER soldier has been jailed for raping his partner’s two younger sisters at their Tyrone home when they were just children.

The defendant, who is aged in his forties but cannot be identified to protect the victims, originally denied the offences but changed his plea just as a trial was to begin at Dungannon Crown Court.

Both victims originally went to police in 2002 but later withdrew their statements over concerns of the impact on the family.

They returned to police in 2020 and the defendant was charged.

The court heard the incidents occurred at the home the defendant shared with their older sister.

Matters began when the older of the girls was staying with them and the defendant repeatedly touched her inappropriately and in the months that followed he displayed ‘an unhealthy sexual interest in her’.

This escalated in January 2002 when she awoke to find him lying beside her in bed.

She told him to get out, which he did but returned wearing only a t-shirt.

The victim made it clear she did not want him there but he grabbed her shoulders and told her to stay still or he would rip her underwear off her.

After trying to fight him off, she was told ‘not to make him angry’.

The victim said, “No, you’re not going to rape me,” but the defendant put his hands about her neck, twisted it, telling her he ‘could snap it’.

He ordered her to ‘kiss him like a boyfriend’ and when she tried to escape he pulled her back telling her resistance was ‘turning him on’.

She was then raped.

A number of months later the defendant turned his attention to the younger victim which began when she was in the living room and he placed his arm around her and got her to sit on his lap.

She then went to bed but was followed by the defendant who tried to take her trousers off.

When she pushed him away he left the room but returned and got into bed with her.

She told him she was going to tell her eldest sister – his partner – but he said, “There was no point as no-one will believe her.”

He tried to undress her and when she resisted, ‘he started to get rough’ and she screamed for her sister.

The defendant left again but returned naked and said he just wanted ten minutes.

His behaviour frightened the child and she screamed again but he put his hand over mouth and told her ‘not to make him angry’.

She was raped as two young children slept nearby.

The defendant’s partner came into the room and asked what was going on, but all the victim was able to say was that he had tried to kill her.

Her sister asked her to come downstairs to talk about this, however the defendant joined them.

The child said he had tried to make her kiss him and at this point the defendant stopped his partner from leaving, producing a knife and holding it at her throat.

Matters calmed for a time but escalated again when he tied his partner up with a rope then untied her and sent her for cigarettes.

While she was gone she made the child touch him sexually before his partner returned.

A pre-sentence report stated the defendant suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his time in the army and also has a number of other mental and physical issues.

He claimed to have no recollection of the incidents as he was very intoxicated but this was rejected by Judge Richard Greene.

Victim Impact Statements set out how both women were left severely traumatised by what occurred in an environment where they should have felt safe.

Judge Greene noted the offences were extremely serious given the highly aggravating factors and said he was treating the incidents as separate against each victim and sentences were therefore consecutive.

He handed down a total sentence of 11 years and six months and ordered the defendant to remain on the Sex Offender Register for life.

A Sexual Offences Prevention Order was also imposed which will be in place Judge Greene noted both victims were present in court and commended them for their bravery in coming forward in and speaking of ‘these awful things’.