Tipperary man raped partner and forced her to leave her Galway home out of fear

Sonya McLean

A woman and her daughter had to move into emergency accommodation because she was too afraid to continue to live in her home where her partner had raped and assaulted her.

Christopher Ryan (33), who is originally from Thurles, in Tipperary, but with an address at Rosedale, Derrigra, Ballineen, Cork, came forward on signed pleas of guilty from the District Court to the Central Criminal Court. On Wednesday he was jailed for ten and half years by Justice Mary Ellen Ring.

He pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault, assault causing harm and damage to a window at the woman’s Galway home on November 11th, 2023. He has one previous conviction for theft.

On Wednesday, Marc Thompson BL prosecuting told the court that the woman, Kerrie Keane, wished to waive her right to anonymity so that Ryan could be named in reporting the case.

Ryan strangled Ms Keane during the assault and repeatedly told her he was going to rape her and there was nothing she could do about it. She later told gardaí that she had fought him off, biting him and kicking him, but she then grew too tired from fighting and “gave up”.

Ms Keane called emergency services after the attack and left her home that day to seek safety in a women’s refuge. Her daughter was not in the home with Ms Keane at the time of the rape.

The woman’s victim impact statement was read into the record by James Dwyer SC prosecuting at a previous hearing earlier this month.

Ms Keane said: “This has been so unfair on me and my daughter. I have no stability since it happened.” She said she “feels like there is no end in sight.”

She said she still has random nightmares and days when she is frozen with depression.

“I wake up anxious and sad every day – everything is so unstable and out of my control. I truly loved this man. I will never trust again. I never want to. I will always have a deep sadness. I will never forget the fear and betrayal,” she added.

Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring noted from Ms Keane’s victim impact statement that she feels guilty for reporting Ryan to the gardaí. She said Ms Keane should understand that she did nothing wrong at all and that the guilt lies at Ryan’s door and his door only.

She said Ms Keane should never have been put in the position to question whether she was right to go to the gardaí.

Ms Justice Ring told Ms Keane to “hold your head high, knowing you have defended yourself and your daughter”.

She said she hopes the woman and her daughter find settled accommodation very soon in the midst of “this housing chaos”.

Ms Justice Ring said Ms Keane woke up to find Ryan “seeking sex” before he raped her in her home where she should have felt safe. She said it represented one of the “deepest breaches of trust in life” to be treated like that by one’s partner.

“The physical scars can lessen and even disappear” said the judge, but added his actions have scarred her for life and to a deep level that she will carry for the rest of her life.

She acknowledged that Ryan had not challenged Ms Keane’s account but that she is still at a loss to understand how she ended up violated in this way by Ryan.

Ms Justice Ring set a headline sentence of 14 years for the rape, seven years for the sexual assault, six years for the assault causing harm and four years for the criminal damage.

She noted Ryan had come forward on signed pleas of guilty and had no relevant previous convictions before she reduced the rape sentence to 11-and-a-half years, the sex assault sentence to five years, the assault causing harm sentence to four years and the criminal damage sentence to two years. All sentences are to run concurrently.

Ms Justice Ring noted that Ryan has still not resolved a dependency on intoxicants, so she suspended the final 12 months of the term on condition that he engage with The Probation Service for those 12 months.

He was ordered not to have any contact either directly or indirectly by any means with Ms Keane for the duration of his time in prison and for the term of his suspended sentence.

After imposing sentence, Ms Justice Ring wished Ms Keane luck in finding settled accommodation for her and her daughter.

Garda Sharon Noonan told Mr Dwyer that the couple met on a dating app in 2021 and visited each other most weeks.

On the night of the attack ,Ms Keane arrived home from work, they had a takeaway together, and she had a glass of vodka. She fell asleep later around midnight and woke up to Ryan cuddling, kissing and pulling at her.

She later told garda that she said “no” but he said he “wanted to do it”. He put her on to her back and held down her arms before he threatened to choke her.

Ms Keane said she started to kick out, but he continued to choke her with both hands for what she described as “for ages”. She felt a ringing in her ears and had difficulty breathing. He then sexually assaulted her, but she bit down on his arm that was pushing against her neck.

Ryan got up, and the woman tried to escape,e but he kept pulling at her legs. She was banging on the walls of the room, calling for help.

She later told gardaí that he continued to say to her “I am going to rape you and there is nothing you can do about it”. She was asking him why and begging him to “please stop”.

Ms Keane said it felt like she had been trying to fight him off for so long that she could not fight him any longer. She was tired and she gave up. He tried to kiss her, but she moved her head to the side. He raped her. He asked for oral sex, and she threatened to bite him.

Ms Keane said afterwards she felt like she was having a panic attack, and Ryan said he was going to kill himself. She called emergency services at 5.30am and he begged her to hang up the phone.

Ryan left the house, and she went to a women’s refuge because she was afraid. She got a call from his mother about getting his wallet and belongings. She returned to see Ryan outside her home. He had broken a window in order to gain entry. He took his clothes and a television.

Ryan was arrested four days later. He was questioned by gardaí and said he would never want to hurt Ms Keane. He said he loved her.

He was played the emergency call she made and shown photographs of the injuries she sustained. He said he had no memory of it. He said he was speechless when he saw the injuries.

Ms Keane thanked those who have helped her since the attack, including the gardaí whom she said “listened to every concern I had – I am forever grateful for their support”.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.