A STUDENT who suffered a 20-minute rape ordeal has offered words of encouragement to other victims saying: ‘Speak up and know you are not alone.’

BY OLIVIA KELLEHER

Kyle Hayes Condon (25) was jailed for six years for raping the 17-year-old near her home in West Cork in the early hours of February 16th this year.

Hayes Condon, of Pairc an Tobair, Clonakilty, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court in Cork to counts of rape, sexual assault, assault causing harm and false imprisonment.

The court heard that Hayes Condon, who had consumed seven bags of cocaine, dragged his teenage victim to a secluded grassy area of a housing estate and subjected her to a 20-minute attack.

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford previously heard evidence in the case from Det Garda Lisa O’Sullivan who said the young woman got a lift home from a party, and walked the last section of the journey home.

Hayes Condon started following her and speaking to her. The girl was recording a Snapchat message and she allowed the recording to continue so that she could capture his voice.

Ms Justice Lankford noted that Mr Hayes Condon was ‘after an enormous amount of cocaine’ on the night of the attack having made his way through about seven bags of the drug.

He offered the teenager, who was not known to him, some cocaine, then grabbed her from behind and dragged her on to a grassy area. She begged him to release her but he told her to ‘shut up’ and raped her. Ms Justice Lankford said that young girl was ‘terrified and believed she was about to be killed’.

In a victim impact statement the young girl said that she found it difficult to get out of bed for weeks after the attack.

‘I was in bed most of the day…I was barely speaking to friends and family. [Now] I can’t even leave the house by myself without feeling like something like this might happen again. I feel unsafe walking alone.’

The teenager said when that when she returned home on the night she was raped she noticed that she had  ‘scratches, bruises and cuts’ on her body.

‘Seeing these on my body made me feel disgusting. Like I was used as a rag doll. I had pain all over my body. No one should have to lay there in fear that they might not make it home.’

The injured party said that her own house was within sight when she was dragged in to the grassy area by Mr Hayes Condon who started doing ‘the most unimaginable things’ to her.

‘It made me feel so defeated. If it can happen so close to home it can happen anywhere.’ The girl urged others in her position to ‘speak up’ and ‘know they are not alone’ before expressing thanks for the support she has received.

Defence barrister Elizabeth O’Connell said her client was very ashamed of his actions on the night.

Ms Justice Lankford praised the teenager for her ‘quick wittedness’ in deciding to record her attacker’s voice. She said it was also ‘astute’ of her to film him as he walked ahead of her on the road prior to the incident.

Mr Hayes Condon has been in custody since February 19th. Ms Justice Lankford noted that he had declined to make an application for bail because he was so ashamed of his actions.

Mr Hayes Condon wrote a letter of apology to the victim. Ms Justice Lankford said his remorse appeared genuine, noting his good work history and the fact that he had a drug debt at the time of the offence.

She jailed Mr Hayes Condon for seven years suspending the last year of the sentence. She directed that he not have any contact with the victim in the case for 40 years after his release from prison. She stressed  that this should be taken to mean forever.