Eoghan O'Connell of Dargle Heights, Bray, Co Wicklow, appeared in Bray District Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to failing to comply with ongoing sex offender notification requirements. The charge included failing to notify gardaí every three days of the specific location where he intended to reside between March and May 2026. O'Connell was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl following a teenage disco in 2004 and was jailed for five years in 2006. He has more than 60 previous convictions, including assault causing harm and attempted murder after he tried to shoot Clinton McCormack outside his Bray home in 2016, for which he received a 12-year sentence in 2018 and was released in May last year. He travelled to Northern Ireland after reoffending with drug addiction and sought a custodial sentence to address addiction in custody. Sentencing was adjourned until Monday, May 25.
"Eoghan O'Connell (36), with an address at Dargle Heights, Bray, Co Wicklow, appeared before a sitting of Bray District Court. He pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with ongoing notification requirements, including a failure to notify gardaí every three days of the specific location where he intended to reside between March and May 2026."
"The accused was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl after a teenage disco in 2004 and was jailed for five years by Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court in 2006. His barrister at his sentencing hearing, Fergal Kavanagh SC, said the defendant began abusing alcohol when he was 10 and then started smoking cannabis when he was 11, before moving on to heavier drugs such as cocaine, "magic mushrooms" and finally heroin when he was 15."
"He has more than 60 previous convictions, including for assault causing harm and attempted murder after he tried to shoot Clinton McCormack outside his Bray home in 2016. He was jailed for 12 years for that act in 2018, but was released in May last year. Solicitor for the accused Brendan Maloney informed the court that his client left the jurisdiction and travelled to Northern Ireland as, after serving a long period of imprisonment, he became addicted to drugs again and wanted to "kick the habit"."
"He told the court that he was instructed to seek a custodial sentence so Mr O'Connell could address his addiction while in custody. The matter was adjourned for sentencing until Monday, May 25."
Read at Irish Independent
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