Mother's appeal to judge over son
Monday, 9 February 2009 22:40
The mother of a 27-year-old convicted sex offender has pleaded with a judge to get help for her son after he pleaded guilty to his third sex attack on women.
David Power from Brittas, Thurles, Co Tipperary attacked and raped a young woman in the toilets of a fast food restaurant last January.
He was previously jailed twice for aggravated sexual assault.
At a sentence hearing before the Central Criminal Court, Mr Power's mother wept as she told Mr Justice Paul Carney that her son had tried and failed to get help for his behaviour.
Mr Power told the court he had tried to get on to a number of treatment programmes but not succeeded.
His latest victim told the court that she thought she was going to die during the attack at Supermacs in Nenagh in January 2008.
She said she would have to live with the effects of the attack for the rest of her life.
The court heard that CCTV footage showed David Power going in and out of the ladies' toilets in Supermacs for a half an hour before he attacked the woman.
He raped her twice and threatened to kill her while holding her by the neck.
The court heard that others in the toilets at the time could not hear her screams for help because the music in the toilets was so loud.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said David Power had been before him twice before and given what now appeared to be extraordinarily moderate sentences which had not worked.
Sentence has been adjourned to next week.
- Six One News: Vivienne Traynor reports that the mother of a 27-year-old convicted sex offender has pleaded with a judge to get help for her son after he pleaded guilty to his third attack
- Nine News: Vivienne Traynor reports that the mother of a 27-year-old convicted sex offender has pleaded with a judge to get help for her son after he pleaded guilty to his third attack
