Tyrone man jailed for sex assault on sleeping woman

A SION Mills man faces the next three years in prison after he sexually assaulted a young woman as she slept in a taxi on her way home after a night out.

Mark Patterson (35), of Grove Terrace, appeared at the Circuit Court in Letterkenny this week for sentencing. He had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of assaulting the young woman as they shared a taxi from Derry to Lifford after a night out on January 21, 2018. Patterson will aslo be placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Imposing the jail term, Judge John Aylmer described the facts of Patterson’s assault as “aggravating and opportunistic, taking advantage of the victim who was asleep and vulnerable. The injuries of which evidence heard were inflicted were forceful and violent digital penetration”.

The judge said that but for the recovery of the DNA of the accused and the execution of a European arrest warrant, the prosecution would have been difficult.

Patterson entered his guilty plea at a previous hearing during which an emotional victim impact statement from the victim was read to the court.

Counsel for Patterson, Shane Costello, said his client gave an early plea and the victim did not have to go through a trial.

In her victim impact statement the woman told the court she had difficulty putting that night out of her mind.

“I feel physically ill reliving this nightmare. When the time came for you to be charged you evaded again. I felt I had been on trial. The physical and emotional pain you caused that night. I had to be tested for HIV and STIs.

“I no longer trust men or have the same contact with my brothers I had before. I will continue to carry this burden with me for the rest of my life,” she added.

The court heard on Tuesday that the victim did not wish to attend the sentencing hearing.

Listing the mitigating factors as to why Patterson should not be given the full four-year jail term for the crime, Judge Aylmer said by pleading guilty he had spared the victim further trauma.

“The fact he was intoxicated and cannot recall the assault does not provide mitigation. He is now out of work and is on anti-depressant medication. He has a good work history in the past.

“He is now remorseful and terribly ashamed of his involvement in this offence. His risk of recidivism is deemed small by the Northern Ireland authorities and he has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register – a significant penalty. I will reduce the sentence by one to three years imprisonment, starting from today’s date,” the judge concluded.