Police issue fresh pictures of man who raped and tried to kill 8-year-old girl in Newry

This is the face of a man wanted for the brutal rape and attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl 20 years ago.

The youngster was attacked, tied to a tree and left for dead in Newry, Co Down – just miles from Dundalk.

On Monday, 20 years on, the PSNI launched a fresh appeal to catch the sex beast, who carried out the attack in 1994.

The survivor of the attack is now 28 and officers have assured her they will continue their probe to catch the pervert.

The victim had been playing with a seven-year-old boy in a wooded area within Daisy Hill Nursery at Barcroft Community Centre when she was attacked.

The man, who is believed to have been in his late teens or early 20s, asked the children to help find his brother.

The youngsters went with him but were separated in woodland behind the centre where the girl was subjected to a prolonged and violent sexual assault.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the horrific incident the PSNI have released two new images of the suspect who is now aged around 40.

Detectives are appealing to members of the public who may have information and have not already contacted police to phone the inquiry team.

They would like to hear from anyone who came forward in 1994 but has not made contact with police since.

Detectives are also keen to identify the couple who met the boy who had been with the victim.

And they want to speak with two young males who had been playing at the Community Centre on the day – June 19, 1994.

Anyone with information is asked to call the PSNI Serious Crime Branch on 028 3836 6274 or Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

An RUC officer involved in the initial investigation described the incident as “shocking”.

Independent councillor Jackie Patterson said: “It is vital that somebody is brought to justice.”

Source: Irish Daily Mirror

Dundalk woman names rapist nephew

The Central Criminal Court

A 75-year-old local woman whose nephew was jailed for 14 years earlier this week for violently raping her has waived her right to anonymity to have him named.

Christopher Ward (aged 51) was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury last month of the rape and sexual assault of his aunt, Kathleen Ward, at her Dundalk home on March 13, 2011 following an eight-day trial.

Mrs Ward, a widow, has indicated since the sentence was imposed yesterday that she wishes to waive her right to anonymity.

Mr Ward, who has a previous address in Birmingham, England, was unlawfully at large from Hatfield Prison in the UK at the time of the rape.

He was serving an 11-year sentence for robbery and wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. He had failed to return from day release in January 2011.

Ward has 92 previous convictions for offences in the UK, where he grew up, including burglary, false imprisonment, road traffic offences, escape from lawful custody and assault.

He has one previous conviction for sex with a minor committed when he was a teenager.

Ward raped his aunt on her bed after tearing off the elderly woman’s clothes during a four-hour ordeal which began when she let him in for a cup of tea. She sustained substantial injuries and had difficulty walking for some time.

Mr Justice George Birmingham said the woman had understandably felt she was safe letting her nephew in for a cup of tea. “Sadly she could not have been more wrong,” he said.

He noted Ward has not expressed any “regret, apology or remorse” for the offence.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the aggravating factors include the vulnerability of the victim, the disparity in physical strength, the injuries sustained by the woman and the effect the offence had on her. He imposed a 14 year sentence for the rape and a concurrent three and a half years for the sexual assault.

In her victim impact statement, Mrs Ward outlined how she no longer trusts men and felt so ashamed by what had happened that she wanted to die.

She said her world turned upside down when Ward raped her and she no longer feels safe in her own home. She said feels she will never get over it and has no quality of life.

She said the only thing Ward never took from her was her belief in God.

Ward returned to the UK following the rape where he was arrested in June 2011 and returned to prison to complete his sentence.

He was interviewed in prison by gardaí and claimed there had been “a moment of moral weakness” between him and his aunt and the sex was consensual.

Ward was extradited to Ireland on completion of his sentence in 2012 and has been in custody in Ireland since.

Michael Delaney SC, prosecuting, said the view of the Director of Public Prosecutions was that the offences were on the higher end of the scale.

Eoin Lawlor BL, defending, said the accused man is single with no children and no drug addictions. He has been in custody on this offence for two years.

Detective Inspector Patrick Marry told Michael Delaney SC, prosecuting, that Mrs Ward had met her nephew on one previous occasion when he called to her house about one week prior to the rape and they had a cup of tea. She had said it was a normal innocuous visit.

On the morning of March 13, 2011 the woman had risen and dressed at 7am when she heard her doorbell ringing. She saw it was her nephew and invited him in for a cup of tea.

As she made a cup of tea in the kitchen Ward came up behind her and put his hand over her mouth and a knife to her throat. He threatened her and dragged her into the sitting room where he pulled off her bottom clothes as she struggled.

Still holding the knife he brought her to the bedroom where he tore off her top and cardigan before raping her on the bed.

Before he left four hours later at 10.45am he threatened her, warning her not to say anything.

The woman phoned relatives who persuaded her to contact gardaí. She had already taken a shower because she felt dirty.

Det Insp Marry said Ward had been given day release in January 2011 from a sentence he was serving but he failed to return to prison and was deemed to have absconded.

Liam Adams to appeal rape conviction

Liam Adams was sentenced to 16 years in jail late last year

The brother of Sinn Féin president and local TD Gerry Adams has lodged appeals against his conviction and sentence for raping his daughter when she was a child.

Liam Adams was sentenced to 16 years late last year after being found guilty of a string of sexual assaults against Aine Dahlstrom (nee Adams) who waived her right to anonymity.

He is expected to serve half his sentence in prison.

The abuse took place over five-years from 1977 and 1981 when Mrs Dahlstrom (40) was aged between four and nine.

Liam Adams, from Bernagh Drive, west Belfast, was found guilty of 10 offences against his daughter at Belfast Crown Court – three counts of rape, four counts of indecent assault and three counts of gross indecency.

Yesterday the Court Service confirmed that he had lodged appeal papers against both conviction and sentence on December 23rd.

A date for proceedings has not yet been set.

During the two-week trial the 58-year-old consistently denied the charges but he was found guilty in October by a jury that convicted him on all charges.

The allegations were made public when Mrs Dahlstrom took part in a 2009 TV documentary and within days, her father fled to the Republic amid claims he would not receive a fair trial in Northern Ireland.

He was eventually handed over to the PSNI at the border in November 2011 after he lost a lengthy and expensive extradition battle.

The first trial opened in April last year but collapsed due to legal reasons. During this trial Mrs Dahlstrom’s uncle, Gerry Adams was called as a prosecution witness. He told the court he confronted his brother about the allegations in Buncrana, Co Donegal, in 1987 where Liam Adams denied the abuse.

He then revealed his brother later confessed in Dundalk, Co Louth, in 2000. He was not called as a witness for the latest trial which saw Liam Adams convicted.

Child rapist has been living locally for five years

Kevin Murphy

The Sunday World reported at the weekend that a child rapist has been living in Dundalk for the past five years.

Kevin Murphy, originally from Co Kerry, has been residing locally since his release from prison in 2008 but his past was unknown to even his girlfriend.

The 36-year-old had settled down with a local woman and her kids. However, little did she know that her partner had a conviction for raping a 12-year-old girl.

Murphy was jailed for six years in 2004 for raping the child in her bed after a boozy night out but was released after four years of his sentence.

In court, the construction worker claimed he had “mistaken” the girl for her mother after a night’s heavy drinking.

According to the Sunday World, a number of other child abuse allegations had been made against Murphy in the past though.

The local woman is understood to have ended her relationship with Murphy after learning about his past.

Murphy had been living in Louth Village until last year and was spotted in Dundalk as recently as last month.

Source: Revealed – Child rapist Kevin Murphy (Sunday World)

Garda suspended amid rape claims

A GARDA from the North East has been suspended from duty following an allegation that he raped a woman in a house in Dublin at the weekend.

The complaint relates to an incident in a house in Lucan in west Dublin on Saturday night, according to The Irish Independent.

The woman says she went back to the house with another man that night and had consensual sex with him.

During the night, she told investigating officers, five other men came into a room where she was staying.

All were naked.

She alleged that one of the men then raped her and another committed a serious sexual assault on her.

She accused a named garda of being involved in one of the attacks.

A full investigation into the incident is now being carried out by officers from Lucan station.The woman has been medically examined following the incident and the medical report will form part of the garda investigation.

The accused garda will be interviewed by investigators and a file will then be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will determine after an examination of the evidence whether criminal charges should be brought against the garda.

Source: Irish Independent