A woman who was subjected to “a predatory, violent rape” by a man at a party when she was just 18 has said her healing can finally begin after his appeal was refused.
In 2023, Shane Noonan, of Castlehill Park, Turlough Road in Castlebar, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the rape.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the final year suspended.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Ms Mangan said she “feels free”.
“It’s finally over,” she said.
“It’s been a really long time.
“Two years ago, I suppose I thought I got my justice that day when I stood on the steps of the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) like so many other brave people have since.
“Two weeks later, he appealed the sentence then, and 22 months later – yesterday – I finally got an answer to how long he’s going to serve.”
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Ms Mangan said that her attacker’s appeal could have been refused “within probably six weeks of him lodging the appeal”.
“There’s no consideration at all for the victim in these cases whatsoever,” she said.
“The system is completely built for the perpetrators... because yesterday there were no new legal arguments being brought to the table at all, it was just about the severity of the sentence.
“The question, or the ‘legal test’, as they say, was did the sentencing judge, did she make an error in principle or fact.
“So, did she pass the sentence within the discretion that was available to her? And the answer was yes.”
Guilty plea 'at the eleventh hour'
According to Ms Managan, one of the factors taken into consideration was that Noonan pleaded guilty “at the eleventh hour”.
“He put in a guilty plea when I was getting sick in the victim suite upstairs, getting ready to go on the stand,” she said.
“My Garda detective came in and said, ‘You’re going on the cross-examination stand in five minutes’ - and I was getting ready to go on and I was vomiting with anxiety.
“He pleaded guilty at the 11th hour... Of course then I didn’t have to give evidence.
“So, [the judge] took that into consideration as well.”
Criminal Court Dublin Ireland the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin, Ireland as of June 2021Ms Mangan said that the psychological stress victims suffer during the appeals process prevents them from moving forward with their lives.
“We see so many survivors on the steps of the CCJ and we’re like, ‘Oh, she’s done, it’s over, she’s reached the end of it’,” she said.
“And then two weeks later you’re slapped with an appeal and you’re back in the process.
“Nearly two years [of an appeals process] is an absolute joke because the sentences are so short already.
“This is what people don’t really take into consideration either is that the headlines are seven years for rape – that's not seven years, it’s three-to-five years and three months.”
Ms Mangan said once an offender steps foot in prison, they get a 25% remission from the prison service.
If you or someone you know is impacted by any of the content in this article you can contact the National 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline on 1800 77 8888.
Main image: Ciara Mangan. Image: Provided.
