'I was raped in my home by someone who I thought was my friend' - Cavan mechanic jailed for rape of female friend

A echanic who raped a woman at her house in a “flagrant abuse of their friendship” has been jailed for seven years.

Mutlu Dalar (42) was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury in January of anally raping the woman at her home on June 8, 2019. Dalar, of Dublin Street, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, had pleaded not guilty to the offence.

At a previous sentence hearing, John Byrne SC, defending, told Justice Tony Hunt that Dalar “accepts the jury verdict but does not agree with it”.

The court heard the woman in the case wanted Dalar to be named but wished to retain her own anonymity.

On the date of the offence, Dalar, who worked as a mechanic, telephoned the woman who was a friend and she invited him to her house for tea. When he was there he tried to kiss her, but she told him no as she was with someone else.

After they had tea together, the woman was walking Dalar out when he grabbed her in the hallway and pinned her against the banisters of the stairs. He then pulled down her trousers and underwear and anally raped her.

The woman was repeatedly telling him, “No please don't”, Monica Lawlor SC, prosecuting, told the court. The woman told gardai later that she froze, and kept saying: “Stop”.

After the rape, the man left and the woman contacted a friend in a distressed state, the court heard. She was medically examined and there was physical evidence of “recent trauma” in her genital area.

Dalar was arrested in July 2019 and claimed that the sexual activity was consensual. He was charged and remanded in custody but later released on High Court bail.

In her victim impact report, the woman stated that before the rape she was “a bubbly friendly person” who never saw any wrong in anyone.

“I was raped in my home by someone who I thought was my friend,” she said. Since the attack she had has to take medication to deal with the effects and with panic attacks.

She said she does not feel safe in her own home anymore and “I feel I just cannot live in my house any longer”.

“I feel like something inside of me is completely broken and I cannot get it back. I do not like to be out in the evenings any more,” she said. She said she relives the attack every day and suffers from flashbacks and horrible nightmares.

She said that being questioned about the rape in court made her feel like she was one who did something wrong and she got physically sick on her way home from court.

Mr Byrne told the court that Dalar is a father of one, who remains friends with his ex-partner.

Counsel handed in a testimonial from his ex-partner and from Dalar's employer who is aware of the nature of the conviction and “has no issue with continuing his employment”. He said the remainder of the references were from the man's friends.

Sentencing Dalar today (Friday, March 3), Justice Hunt said Dalar's actions were a “flagrant abuse of the sanctity of (the woman's) dwelling, a flagrant abuse of their friendship and a flagrant abuse of the hospitality she extended to him on this occasion”.

He noted the pain and humiliation suffered by the woman in the course of the offending and noted she found the trial process difficult.

“I'm not sure how the trial process can be made painless and simple,” the judge said. “These are complicated matters.”

He said he hoped the woman was comforted by the guilty verdict of the jury. “Her credibility was ultimately vindicated,” Mr Justice Hunt said.

The judge took into account a number of mitigating factors, including Dalar's previous good character and lack of relevant previous convictions.

Mr Justice Hunt handed down an eight year sentence and suspended the final year on a number of conditions, including that Dalar remain under post-release supervision for a period of three years and have no contact with the woman without her permission.