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Updated at 5pm
YEARS OF WORK building up the independence of a young woman with Down syndrome were instantly destroyed when she was raped by Faisal Ellahi, a court heard today.
At a sentencing hearing today the victim’s mother said that the family and support services had brought the woman, who is in her twenties, to the stage where she had a job, could travel on her own and could run errands for her mother.
“All that work was wiped out by such depravity,” she told the Central Criminal Court as her daughter watched via video-link from a room elsewhere in the Criminal Courts of Justice.
The victim became very upset as her mother read out a statement on her behalf outlining how they had to discuss giving her anti-HIV treatment following the attack.
A visibly moved Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the mother afterwards that it was very difficult to immediately respond to such a victim impact statement.
He told her he would address it when he finalised sentence on 34-year-old Ellahi.
Deportation
Mr Justice Hunt adjourned matters until next Monday to hear further mitigation on behalf of Ellahi and said he would finalise his sentence a week or ten days later.
He told Ellahi’s counsel that any prospect of a partially suspended sentence would be contingent on him agreeing to be deported to his native Pakistan on his release.
Ellahi was convicted last December of raping and sexually assaulting the woman after luring her back to his apartment when she became separated from her mother near their Dublin home.
In her victim impact statement the woman’s mother said that following the rape her daughter began sleeping in her bed and would have night terrors. She also began suffering from seizures.
The symptoms abated after a while but returned in the run up to the trial, the mother said.
He has robbed our family of the last two and a half years and (the victim) of the future she might have had. I feel a great sadness for her and a huge sense of loss.
The mother also read out a statement prepared by the victim which said:
I feel so scared at all times since he did that to me. I feel confused, angry and shocked. Sometimes I get flashbacks. I can’t go out on my own anymore because I am too scared.
Pleaded not guilty
Ellahi, who is originally from Haripur in Pakistan, pleaded not guilty last year to rape, sexual assault and having sex with a mentally impaired person at his Dublin home on 12 June, 2013.
The court heard he continued to deny the charges and maintained his position that he did not know the woman had Down syndrome.
He has no previous convictions in this jurisdiction and gardai are unaware of any convictions in his native country.
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I’d be interested in the number of cars being brought in from outside the State. With the current level of Sterling and the cost of cars here I would suspect many people are importing their cars. Even with the VRT a significant saving can be made.
VRT is a disgrace
Aren’t all cars brought in from outside the State? Of course the SIMI would have you think they are inferior making import a dirty word for cars.
I did. Bought a 2013 Mazda from U.K. For a lot less than one here. Bought an SEL NAV with 50,000 for £9600 (13500) at the time, 18 – €19,000 here. Complete inflated. Goes with our insurance and car tax I suppose.
Motor industry lobby the government over reg plates. They forced the government to bring in the reg plates we have now. The year forces people to have the latest car. Your registration should be given with your licence and should be for life no matter what the car. If two people drive the same car or each others car than you can share a regular number. Also government should get rid of illegal VRT tax as per EU law.
@lez ferguson: VRT is not illegal – http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/faqs-vrt.html#question2
To be honest I think a practical solution to the problem of uninsured drivers would be to link car tax and insurance to the number plate. No insurance, no number plate, no tax paid, no number plate. In Denmark where I live they use this system and if you dont pay your car tax or insurance the police take your number plate. As its also illegal to have an unregistered vehicle if you’re not a car dealer you have to get rid of the car or pay up or they seize the car as well. Insurance for first time drivers here is about €1000 highest for comprehensive falling to €300 after 5 years.
@lez ferguson:
Please explain how the number on the plate “forces” people to buy a new car?
I have a sore tooth, can I blame the government for that as well?
No one is holding a gun to peoples heads when they are singing purchase agreements.
Regarding. Your link says the oppsite
@Mick Jordan: Is English your first language?
@P.J. Nolan:
“singing purchase agreements”??
I’m a mean barotone myself
Enjoyed reading the convoluted alternative plate systems. But I can’t think of a dafter reason to choose a car. Unless by horoscope ;-)
If at all possible walk cycle or use public transport. Get rid of the car and get rid of insurance, motor tax and maintenance.
And fuel costs.
How would the Government be able to raise revenue then? If the takings from tax on Fuel, insurance, car purchases etc were abolished.
The air we breathe…
@Niallers: That’s fine for single people, not a hope for most others though. Only city dwellers can get away with that.
@Mr Snuffleupagus: Era the dutch manage it, I’ve seen them fit 5 people on a bike!
There’s the electric cars for those of us with families too… Check on the low tax, no fuel, still stuck with the pesky insurance mind. 2 outta 3 is still better though! :)
@Jane Bresnan: The Dutch have a very good existing transport system, and very few hills! When you have t0 cycle up Patrick’s Hill in Cork (almost vertical), or have to cycle a 10 mile round trip to travel no more than 2 miles as the RSA don;t allow cyclists on dual carriageways or through the Jack Lynch tunnel connecting the northside and southside, you begin to realise cycling in Cork is for students.
I’ve saved about 1,500 cycling to and from work every day. It’s about 8k each way, not ideal at the start or when it’s raining but invest in a decent rain jacket, bike and headphones and you’ll never look back. If I leave during rush hour it’s often quicker to get in and home, plus the government aren’t taxing the hole off you.
Headphones, why would you cycle with one of your key senses impaired. Enrages me when i see senseless cyclists do that. Idiot
Try living outside a city where the closest bus service is over 25km away…
@Mr Snuffleupagus: We manage with one car between the two of us. I get the bus to work. We have a car available for when one is needed. I would imagine it is actually harder for a single person because there are some things you can’t do in this country without a car (especially if you live outside Dublin), so you almost always need access to one at least.
@Fargo Boyle: When cycling there’s nothing to Hear! In urban areas all you can hear is traffic. if its raining all you can hear is traffic, tyre roar, air brakes etc. In rural areas all you can here is the wind, cars approaching etc. (yes you can still hear ambient noise while wearing earbuds)
Listening to music while cycling is no different to watching a movie with a musical soundtrack..it adds to the enjoyment.
“When cycling in Ireland and it’s raining, invest in good head phones…” – brought to you by the Road Safety Authority
Fargo. An enraged individual is more dangerous than a cyclist wearing headphones. Beware of enraged individuals.
Try walking with headphones – the mic often picks up and amplifies sounds. It’s a careless bias. Sirens can be more piercing even with earbuds in. Maybe don’t go by what you see.
Lmao
Alan Kelly,exactly, you need to hear the traffic.
@Paul Whelan very funny lol!!! said nobody…..
@Fargo Boyle: Hear traffic? Why? why do you have to hear traffic?
So you’re aware what’s coming behind you and
From blind spots. Obviously eyes are more critical but countless times some idiot on a bike wearing headphones has swerved out in front of me. Had they had their sense of hearing,I doubt it would of happened. Listening to music in a very personal way i.e headphones is distracting. Your senses can you help you and keep you safe, cycling on a public road with traffic with one critical sense less is foolish and dangerous. I’m not entirely sure but,is it illegal now?
i hate the year on the number plate
makes people think they need a new car which is probably why we have it , does any other EU country do this
@David Cullen: Agreed. Why cant they have month and year , location as the number plate. eg 17 01 D 1234 would tell you, the car is (17) is 2017, month (01) is January, (D) is Dublin and 1234 is the 1234th car registered in that period. Looking at the present system more then 27% of cars are bought in January. This would enhance the second hand value of say November and December cars. (eg 16 12 D 213). They use that system in Portugal. At least it will space out more even cars sales throughout the year. Also help NCT and Motor Taxation queues.
I have an 09 Opel (well Vauxhall its a UK import) its running well and is in good condition. It has over 200k miles on it, mostly put on it by me, but why would I change for a 171 reg when the only real difference between them would be the numbers on the clock, straddle myself with circa €400 a month of a repayment bill to drive basically the same car as I have now, as cars haven’t really changed in the last ten years. Plus a second hand basic spec from the UK has the equivalent spec as the mid to top range spec in Rep of Ireland. The NCT (which is a massive scam) now means that cars are effectively worth nothing after ten years no matter how good of condition they are in. There should be some system where by if a car receives a certain “score” in the NCT test then the cert will last 2 years, between score A & B then the cert lasts a year, between score B & C then the cert lasts 6 months and below score C then it fails. This would actually encourage people to take better care of their older cars.
@Anthony O Reilly: Nct is a scam promoted by the simi and helped by the AA, Working in the trade for over twenty years Ive see stupid fails and some unbelievable passes,
We obviously need to break the registrations down to quarterly or even monthly now to keep the registrations active !
Have to admit that I really taken with the idea of an electric car. I have always been a true petrol head from my first mk1 savage cortina , capri’s , Granada’s and even a Manta 400 right up to our RX7 but I was greatly impressed with a friends Nissan leaf. I think it might very well be my first new car.
@Michael Clinton: but they’re so ugly… can’t wait to see how much Tesla Model III will cost here…
I know Daniel but I never said I would get rid of the RX7 , The “leccy” car would be the daily and the RX7 would be the weekend special. Mind you Completecar.ie have done some super reports on Hybred/electric cars.
@Daniel Dudek Corrigan: You better have a look at the new Hyundai Ioniq, it is certainly not what you call so ugly. No VRT either.
@Dave Green:
Do Hyundai pay their staff well Dave?
@P.J. Nolan Do any car manufactures pay their staff well.
@Dave Green: What about Renault Zoe? How does it compare performance wise? I’m thinking of getting electric car too?
I wonder what the increase in NOx emissions has been since the introduction of the new motor tax system.
Exactly. People got too hung up on the CO2 emissions when the NOX are far more harmful to humans (and far higher in diesel cars)
Yep. There are rumours that Honda plan to ditch diesel engines in the near future.
People were pushed into Diesel cars by the Greens. If you can afford a large BMW saloon car with €190 tax why wouldn’t you buy it.
As for Electric cars – we need to look at the end to end life cycle from production through use to disposal. They might not have as good green credentials as people think.
@Ted Logan: I drive a 2002 Mercedes. I could go out and buy a new one tomorrow, and I wouldn’t need a bank loan for it either. Personally. I think new cars are a phenomenal waste of money. I’ll let others worry about depreciation, and pick them up years later with low mileage and a good service history.
I paid 1500 for my current car 3 years ago and it has cost me nothing to run it beyond petrol, insurance, car tax, tyres, and a few bulbs and the annual service. . That’s 3 year of ‘cheap’ driving to date. In that time my insurance has rocketed to 1k, my car tax is close to 700 and my petrol consumption about 40 a week. So. I’m getting away lightly. I won;t change it until it costs too much to fix. If it lasts another 10 years, I’ll still be driving it.
Good point. Still, fewer components, so I guess the first wave might trade in all right if upgrading to a more streamlined one. Be good to see how they hold up. If they came down in price secondhand, more first-time drivers would try one.
What defines a new car being ‘sold’…On PCP finance?
PCP is the work of the devil.
As a a self employed person If I bought new van now in 12mths it would need a doe even if it has only 10km up on it.
Now why would i ever bother buying a new van/car van etc. For me personally if the doe was 100k or after 3 years then I’d be tempted to buy new more often but as it stands unless I win the lotto or I get a great trade in offer , I wont ever be buying anything new.
@Angry Gaming: DOe is way less stringent than the NCT though. Much easier to pass and there are also way more test centres as lots of local garages have the ability to test the DOE. I’d prefer the DOE to the NCT anyday. My van used to pass it no problem, when I’d be going back for a retest with the car.
@Mr Snuffleupagus:
While you may well be right regards the DOE been easier than the NCT, my own experience of having both a van and a car would back you up on that, the cost of the DOE is considerably higher (€95 compared to €55 for NCT) and you have to do it every year from year 1
I wonder what is the ‘right’ number of new cars per year. In that a number that ensures a good stock of quality, safe cars, but not at the expense of people buying new cars that they really cannot afford.
have your say