Risk to society from brutal rapist ‘underestimated’

Published: Monday, August 09, 2010

The women's rights campaign group yesterday said there was public concern after reports that there was no surveillance planned of the Wicklow sex offender once he walks free in two days' time.

NWCI chief executive Susan McKay also said there were questions to be answered over why violent offenders like Murphy were not receiving lengthier prison sentences.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, she said: "The issue here is sentencing, they're not getting long enough sentences.

"This was a really horrific crime that this man committed. Given... that judges are aware of remission, it doesn't seem to me to have been adequate.

"I would be very concerned. According to reports about this guy, he's not going to be subject to any supervision after his release," she said.

Murphy, a carpenter from Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, is set to be released from Arbour Hill prison on Thursday after serving 10-and-a-half years of a 15-year sentence for the rape of a woman in the Wicklow mountains. He raped the Carlow businesswoman several times and threw her in the boot of his car with a shopping bag over her head in an attempt to suffocate her.

Ms McKay added: "The authorities need to in general look at sentencing of these extremely violent men who are capable of carrying out brutal acts like this on women.

"The fact that he [Murphy] hasn't taken part in any sex offenders programme and that he isn't going to be monitored is bound to be very frightening for women. There seems to be an underestimation going on here by the authorities of the risk posed by these types of men. We do know there is a high rate of recidivism with this kind of violence."

Wicklow councillor Gerry O'Neill (Sinn Féin) said concerned locals and politicians hope to meet with gardaí on Thursday, the day of Murphy's release. Local safety measures needed to be put in place for the rapist's release, he said.

Meanwhile, Rape Crisis Network Ireland's Fiona Neary called for sex offenders to be screened before their release. A pre-release risk assessment of offenders was needed, the chief executive told Newstalk 106's Lunchtime Show. This assessment could be done on Murphy, she said: "He would be assessed to see can he demonstrate that he is of reduced harm to the community and if he cannot he will not be released."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, August 10, 2010