{"id":513177,"date":"2026-06-22T20:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/513177\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T20:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:27:10","slug":"convicted-sex-offenders-jailed-for-10-years-for-attempted-rape-of-young-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/513177\/","title":{"rendered":"Convicted sex offenders jailed for 10 years for attempted rape of young man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two convicted sex offenders have been jailed for the attempted rape of a man 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

Gary Byrne (36) and James Reilly (49), who are civil partners, both sexually assaulted the then 19-year-old on the street before sexually assaulting him a second time and attempting to anally rape him after giving him an intoxicant, which meant he could not move while in their home in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, in 2016.<\/p>\n

Both men are currently serving prison sentences for the defilement of a teenage boy in 2020.<\/p>\n

Reilly also has previous convictions for assault and engaging in a sexual act in the presence of a child, while Byrne has convictions for sexual assault.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Byrne and Reilly were jailed for 10 years.<\/p>\n

The court was told that the injured party does not wish to be named himself, but is happy for Byrne and Reilly to be identified in reporting of the case.<\/p>\n

Justice Tony Hunt said the case was aggravated by the men\u2019s previous sexual offending and \u201cillustrated a propensity and risk to the public\u201d. He noted that the men were convicted following a trial and neither has demonstrated remorse.<\/p>\n

He further noted that additional aggravating features in the case were \u201cthe use of an intoxicating or incapacitating substance\u201d, that the men \u201cacted in concert\u201d and that they caused their victim \u201csevere and lasting harm\u201d.<\/p>\n

Justice Hunt said it appears that the victim was \u201crendered unable to move\u201d and therefore was placed in a situation of \u201cheightened vulnerability\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said Byrne and Reilly \u201cclearly acted together \u2013 it was coordinated and supported\u201d and the victim had been \u201csimultaneously seriously assaulted by two people at the same time\u201d.<\/p>\n

He noted the \u201celement of deceit and exploitation\u201d in getting the victim to their home in the first instance because the man believed he was going to a house party.<\/p>\n

Justice Hunt said the victim indicated through the victim impact statement the severe and enduring harm caused to him, which also led to a loss of identity and self-worth.<\/p>\n

He said the mitigation available to the court was limited, but noted that Reilly had a difficult upbringing and both men had decent employment histories.<\/p>\n

Justice Hunt said the case was \u201cessentially a joint enterprise\u201d and he didn\u2019t intend to \u201cdraw any distinction between them\u201d.<\/p>\n

He imposed an 11-year sentence with the final year suspended on strict conditions, including that both men engage with the Probation Service for three years once released from custody.<\/p>\n

Justice Hunt said, as \u201ca reassurance to the complainant\u201d he ordered that neither man was to have any contact either directly or indirectly at any time in the future with the complainant.<\/p>\n

He said due to their lack of remorse, he considered it \u201cessential and required in the public interest\u201d to impose the three-year post-release supervision order.<\/p>\n

Justice Hunt wished the victim well and said he hoped that, as the process was now at an end, he can move on with his life.<\/p>\n

The men were both convicted following a Central Criminal Court trial in Limerick earlier this year of two counts of sexual assault and one of attempted anal rape. Reilly was also convicted of assault causing harm.<\/p>\n

In his victim impact statement, the injured party said he lost his sense of self following the assault and didn\u2019t know who he was anymore.<\/p>\n

He said after the assault, he hated himself and his body, and lost friends and family after developing alcoholism. He said he used alcohol in an attempt to numb his pain and made numerous suicide attempts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI blamed myself. This doesn\u2019t happen to a straight male,\u201d the injured party said, adding that he didn\u2019t feel safe in the company of men.<\/p>\n

He said he sought help in 2018 as he \u201ccould no longer cope with what those two monsters did to me\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said his suicidal ideation remained even with all the help he received. He said he finally decided to open up so that it would no longer be a \u201cdamaging secret, controlling my life\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said going to garda\u00ed was the \u201cfirst huge step\u201d in his recovery. \u201cMy story was heard and above all believed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was now telling the world what these two evil monsters did to me\u201d, he said adding that he could never forgive the men for destroying his life and for \u201cbeing cowards\u201d by not admitting their wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

He said he would encourage other men who are victims of sexual assault to come forward. \u201cYou are not alone. You will be heard,\u201d he said, adding that it was \u201cimportant so evil men like these can\u2019t hurt anyone\u201d.<\/p>\n

Detective Garda Margaret Slevin gave evidence during an earlier court hearing that the injured party bumped into Reilly and Byrne after he\u2019d been socialising.<\/p>\n

The men were known to him and they invited him to a house party at their home. He initially refused, but agreed to go back to their home.<\/p>\n

On the way, Reilly and Byrne each sexually assaulted him by squeezing his buttocks over his jeans. The injured party objected and told them he was not into it, and Reilly replied: \u201cAh, you\u2019re loving it\u201d.<\/p>\n

He realised when they reached the men\u2019s home that there was no party as it was dark. He was persuaded to go inside for a drink.<\/p>\n

The court heard the man was given a vodka and 7up. He later told garda\u00ed that he remained conscious, but was unable to move after drinking it.<\/p>\n

Reilly and Byrne started to kiss and touch each other. Reilly tried to kiss the injured party, before biting him on the chest. He then sexually assaulted the injured party.<\/p>\n

Byrne joined in, saying \u201cstraight people enjoy it\u201d. He also sexually assaulted the victim.<\/p>\n

The injured party remembered being placed face down on the couch, with his trousers down. Byrne attempted to anally rape him, then Reilly did the same.<\/p>\n

Shortly after both men had finished, the injured party managed to regain his strength, dress and leave. He was in disbelief about what had happened and took a shower when he got home.<\/p>\n

The next day, he texted Reilly, asking him not to tell anyone. Reilly replied: \u201cDon\u2019t worry, your secret is safe with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A week later, the injured party met Reilly and again asked him not to tell anyone. Reilly laughed and walked away.<\/p>\n

The court heard that the injured party developed mental health difficulties and alcoholism following the assault, resulting in incidents of self-harm and multiple hospitalisations.<\/p>\n

He disclosed the incident to a friend in 2018, and later to his wife. In 2023, he told his GP and his mother, before seeking support from a local rape crisis centre.<\/p>\n

He made a formal complaint to garda\u00ed in the summer of 2023.<\/p>\n

Reilly and Byrne were arrested and interviewed by garda\u00ed in February 2024. Both men said family had been staying with them that weekend as they were preparing for a party.<\/p>\n

Byrne denied going out that night, while Reilly said they had been out in Nenagh and had some memory of meeting the injured party, but was not sure it was that evening.<\/p>\n

Det Gda Slevin agreed with defence counsel for the men that their convictions for defilement post-date this offending.<\/p>\n

The court was told the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)\u2019s view is that while there are no sentencing guidelines for attempted anal rape, it is suggested that the headline sentence for this offence should fall within the 10 to 15 year range, due to the pre-mediated nature of the offending, the use of intoxicants and the impact on the injured party.<\/p>\n

Both men have a history of work.<\/p>\n

Dermot Cahill, defending Byrne, submitted to the court that there are no sentencing guidelines for the most serious offence faced by his client, who only had one previous conviction at the time of this offending. He said that if the court took into account his client\u2019s later convictions, then it would be a \u201cdouble punishment\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Controlling<\/p>\n

Ireland<\/p>\n

Controlling rapist made partner stand in hot press for hours, court hears<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Justice Hunt noted that Byrne\u2019s sentence for defilement was \u201cin the absence of the full facts\u201d.<\/p>\n

Cahill said his client was sentenced on the basis of the charges he faced at that time and that the sentencing principles say that the court must take his client as he was in 2016.<\/p>\n

Mark Nicholas, defending Reilly, said his client had a difficult upbringing. He submitted to the court that \u201cthese people, sadly for [the injured party\u2019s name] met up accidentally and spontaneously\u201d.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0In the case of an emergency, always dial 999\/112.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two convicted sex offenders have been jailed for the attempted rape of a man 10 years ago. Gary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":513178,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-513177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/513178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}