This article is from page 12 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE controversy surrounding the Mary Shannon rape case is poised to prevent other rape victims coming forward, according to the Rape Cri- sis Centre in the mid west.
Ms Shannon waived her right to an- onymity in March, after a three-year suspended term was handed to Ennis man Adam Keane (20), of Barnagee- ha, Darragh, Ennis.
He was found guilty by a 10-2 majority of the jury of raping Mary Shannon (33) at his trial, at the Cen- tral Criminal Court.
Ms Shannon was outraged by the sentence, the leniency of which is be- ing appealed by the Director of Pub-
lic Prosecutions.
Figures published by the Central Statistics Office last week showed that there was a huge decrease in the number of sexual offences reported during the first quarter of the year.
Nationally, the number of reported sexual offences dropped by 44.5 per cent, when compared with the same three-month period last year.
The co-ordinator of the Rape Cri- sis Centre in the mid west, Miriam Duffy said the “furore over the statu- tory rape case” last year is bound to have played a role in the huge de- crease.
SY eTomcr COMA OT-LMmy OND CoMmMeCoM\Y EDavane)oretoee non case was not likely to have had an impact on the figures for the first
quarter, it was likely to have an ef- fect on figures for the remainder of this year.
‘There has been a knock-on effect from the statutory rape case,” she Sr AKGe
“What happened with Mary Shan- non’s case…you would want to assess it again in six months,’ added Ms Duffy.
“A lot more training needs to be done with the gardai. We are con- cerned that this is a big reduction in the number of sexual offences re- ported,’ she added.
“There has not been any dramatic fall-off in incidents of rape reported to the Rape Crisis Centre,” she add- ed.