Derry court hears Donegal teenager charged with rape of woman

A teenager from Donegal appeared in court on Monday charged with the rape of a woman in Derry.

The 18-year-old was at the Magistrate’s Court in Derry following his arrest at the weekend when he was charged with raping, assaulting and committing non-fatal strangulation of a woman he met for the first time last week.

Mason O’Donoghue, whose address was given as the Tooban Lodge Care Home in Burnfoot admits assaulting the woman but denies the two other allegations. The court was told he has no previous criminal convictions.

A police officer told District Judge Oonagh Mullan that the defendant is alleged to have assaulted the woman last Saturday three days after he’s alleged to have raped her while applying pressure to her neck.

The police witness said that in the early hours of Sunday morning the defendant attended the PSNI station in the Waterside area of the city to report that he had had a row with the woman in her flat and that he had punched her on the nose. Minutes after the defendant had arrived at the police station the complainant contacted the police with her allegations. The police called at her flat and noted the complainant had facial injuries and was bleeding heavily from her nose, the court heard.

The officer said during the alleged rape the defendant allegedly told the complainant “you will do what I fucking want you to do, you deserved that”.

When arrested the defendant told the police that the sex between him and the woman was consensual and that any injuries sustained by her were the result of him acting in self defence.

“He said she wanted rough sex and wanted him to press her neck which he did with one hand”, the officer said.

“He said he returned to Donegal and came back to Derry a few days later and had consensual sex again”, the officer added.

The police witness said he opposed bail because the defendant had no address in the jurisdiction nor had he any family members in Northern Ireland. He also said there was a risk of witness interference in that the defendant knew where the complainant lived.

Applying for bail solicitor Jack Quigley said the defendant had walked from the complainant’s flat several miles to the police station and reported that he had assaulted the woman. He said they had consensual sex the first time they met and again three days later “when she invited him back to her flat”.

Mr Quigley said the defendant, who has recently been diagnosed with autism, was under the care of a team of social workers, one of whom attended the police station following the defendant’s arrest. He said the social workers were willing to ensure that the defendant, if granted bail, would adhere to any bail conditions imposed by the court.

“His entire family live in either Birmingham or Sligo and he himself is a vulnerable individual with no previous convictions whatsoever”, he added.

Refusing bail the District Judge said the allegations were very serious and the police investigation was at an early stage. She remanded the defendant in custody until December 30.

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