MONSTER CAGED

Man, 56, jailed for eight years after rape of ‘vulnerable and intoxicated’ woman, 20, in Dublin hotel

Victim had no recollection of meeting man

• Published: 16:12, 27 Nov 2023
• Updated: 16:12, 27 Nov 2023

A MAN has been jailed for eight years in prison for the rape of “a vulnerable and intoxicated” young woman in a Dublin hotel.

The Central Criminal Court heard that Dermott Brett, 56, of Sweet Auburn, Carrickbeg, Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary pleaded not guilty to one count rape at the InterContinental Hotel, Dublin on January 11, 2019.

The woman was a 20-year-old university student at the time.

In May 2023, Brett was found guilty by a jury, but he maintains his innocence.

He has one previous conviction for a road traffic matter.

The court heard the victim wishes for Brett to be identified while maintaining her anonymity.

The court heard that the woman had been out with friends but was asked to leave a Dublin pub because she was so intoxicated.

She attended at a nearby fast-food outlet where she could be seen on CCTV footage in such a drunken state that she is incapable of standing upright.

The woman’s friends hailed a taxi to take her home but the woman got out of the taxi shortly afterwards, unbeknownst to her friends.

She then met with Brett and he claimed that he was concerned for her welfare because there were a number of men around who had an interest in her.

The woman had no recollection of meeting Brett or getting out of the taxi.

Further CCTV footage showed Brett and the woman arrive at the hotel and the woman was still unable to remain upright at that point.

Passing sentence today, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said Brett claimed he had gone to the woman’s assistance and acted as a good Samaritan.

She noted that he is a married man with children of his own and was considerably older than the woman with more “life experience”.

“He had a number of opportunities to step back from the offending,” Ms Justice Creedon said before she noted that Brett did not bring the woman to a garda station or hail a taxi for her to bring her home when he first met her, despite his claim that he had concerns for her welfare.

“Instead, he brought her back to his hotel room,” the judge said before she added that Brett then “raped this vulnerable and intoxicated woman”.

Ms Justice Creedon noted from the woman’s victim impact statement that the rape has had a profoundly negative impact on her.

The judge imposed a sentence of nine years, suspending the final year.

A victim impact statement was read to the court by the prosecuting counsel which said the complainant had “lost a part of herself that night and struggles knowing she will “never get it back”.

“I forget who I was before that. It’s a sad way to feel.”

She said that “all my independence was taken away from me”.

Character references from Brett’s family were handed into the court and many of his family members were present to support him.