The Central Criminal Court has heard how a 33-year-old man, who was arrested for attempted rape, was found to have been secretly filming women around Galway.
Russell Murray of Clydagh, Moycullen, will be sentenced on Thursday for attempted rape and assault of a woman in 2009.
At his sentence hearing this morning, the court heard that after his arrest he was found with a camera memory card on which footage of several women was found.
It appeared he had been filming women in pubs and nightclubs and on the street.
Some of the footage was taken under women's skirts.
Murray was arrested after an attack on a 24-year-old Polish woman at a Galway housing estate in April 2009.
She was grabbed from behind in the early hours of the morning while on her way to work.
However, she managed to fight off her attacker and remove his balaclava. He then fled the scene and gardaí believed at first it was a robbery.
They later found a rucksack containing pre-cut duct tape, a dog lead, cord, Vaseline and a wooden saw handle.
Murray became a suspect when he came to collect his van from the scene. Similar duct tape was found in the van.
He later admitted he had planned to rob and rape 'the first victim who came along'.
Prosecuting counsel said he was ambiguous when asked what he intended to do with his victim after the attack.
He said he planned to use the tape, rope and dog lead to tie them up.
He said he panicked when the woman started to scream and knew what he was doing was wrong.
He told gardaí his life was mess and he had recurring fantasies about women and strong sexual urges.
He was on medication but said it may not have been working.
Often he was afraid to go out in case he would ‘kick up’ if he saw a girl.
When asked if he planned to kill his victim he said: ‘no, I don’t know. It wasn't in my mind to harm but it’s hard to say. She was in a situation and I was in a situation.’
Defence counsel Michael O’Higgins SC objected to the inclusion of evidence about the camera memory card.
He said the prosecution had not interviewed Murray about it and it was ‘grossly prejudicial and poisonous’ to introduce such extraneous matters.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said he would exclude this evidence when considering sentence, which he will pass on Thursday next.
Mr O’Higgins said the crime was opportunistic and random.
He said while it was a planned attack, it was not very well planned.
It had been nipped in the bud due to the incredible bravery of his victim, he said.
Mr O’Higgins said the accused had been in care and homeless throughout his teenage years.
Despite this he had not fallen into a life of drugs and crime, like many others in his situation had.
He said he had taken many courses and had been in regular employment.
He was a security guard in a number of establishments and had opened his own bike shop at one point.
At the time of the offence he was undertaking a boat building course.
He also had psychiatric concerns and there was a family history of schizophrenia but he had been deemed fit to plead.
