Martin Harte (33), who began relationship with victim when she was 16, sentenced to nine years for rape and defilement
A woman has said after her partner raped her she felt like she had been murdered, “just my body was still here”.
Chloe Loran delivered her victim impact statement during the sentence hearing of Martin Harte (33) last March. He raped her twice during their relationship, which began when she was 16 years old.
Harte, of Marian Hill, Portarlington, Co Laois, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to a count of engaging in a sexual act with a child under 17, known in law as defilement, in 2013.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of rape on dates in 2019 and 2022.
Philipp Rahn SC, prosecuting, told the court on Monday Ms Loran wished to waive her right to anonymity so Harte could be named.
Harte was handed a prison sentence of nine years, with the final year suspended indefinitely on strict conditions.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt described this as “a course of serious offending, but separated by a long period of time”.
A detective garda told Mr Rahn Harte began a relationship with the victim when she was 16 years old. She said he was always aware of her age.
She made a complaint to gardaí in April 2022 after Harte raped her in her home.
She also outlined an occasion in 2019 when Harte raped her. Their relationship ended in February 2022 and they stopped living together.
She said Harte raped her on Easter Sunday that year after she invited him to her home to share the occasion.
She said she became tired in the afternoon and went to her room to have a nap. She woke up to Harte taking off her clothes and calling her a “dirty whore”.
She told him “no” but he continued to sexually assault her before he raped her. The rape ultimately came to an end and she left the room.
She recorded the conversation she and Harte subsequently had, during which he could be heard apologising repeatedly, telling her she did not deserve what had happened. He promised to never go near her again.
She immediately reported the rape to gardaí and was later examined in her local sexual assault treatment unit (SATU).
Harte was arrested but nothing came out of the interviews with gardaí.
Ms Loran read her victim impact statement into the record. She said she feels like she is living a nightmare and Harte has left her in darkness.
“I feel like I was an object used to be degraded and imprisoned in my own body,” she said.
She said he completely destroyed her life and said her world crumbled.
“I feel like I had been murdered, just my body was still here,” Ms Loran said, adding Harte “finally stole the last piece of me”.
She said the nightmares she experiences at night are so real. “I just want to be free,” she added.
Mr Justice Hunt told Ms Loran he hoped reading her victim impact statement might be of some help to her. He wished her well for the future.
Dara Foynes SC, defending, asked the court to take into account her client’s guilty plea, but accepted this is “diluted” by other comments he has made.
She said a forensic psychological report identifies her client as having an “intellectual deficit”, limited emotional support and being in need of counselling. He is at medium risk of reoffending.
He has no work history, had a difficult upbringing and faces a number of other issues, counsel said.
Mr Justice Hunt set a headline sentence of 14 years to reflect the global offending.
He said the court noted the contents of the probation and psychological reports and the defence’s submissions that Harte’s culpability is reduced due to his deficits.
But, the court’s view was that “there is a slim evidential basis for any significant reduction in culpability”, having considered the reports and the evidence in the case. He said he would reduce the headline sentence to 12 years, noting that these deficits would have a lengthy prison sentence more challenging for Harte.
Mr Justice Hunt said the breach of trust and the fact the offending took place in the victim’s home were aggravating features.
Having considered the mitigating factors, the judge imposed a sentence of nine years with the final one year suspended on strict conditions that Harte not commit any further sexual offences and have no contact – direct or indirect – with the victim.
Mr Justice Hunt said he was suspending the final 12 months of the sentence indefinitely for the protection of the community and the victim and to encourage rehabilitation. He also imposed a four year post-release supervision order, and directed Harte to follow all directions of the Probation Service.
