Rapist Returned To Jail Within Weeks

Belfast Crown Court has heard that just six weeks after being released from jail after he served time as a rapist, Michael Quinn, 21, was caught trying to burgle a house.

The man, who was said to have taunted the mother of his rape victim over the phone, has now been jailed for two years after he tried to break into a house after he was released from a jail term for the sex attack.

He was previously jailed in 2007 for twice raping an 15-year-old English schoolgirl.

Quinn, from West Belfast, had threatened the girl with a screwdriver and after brutally raping her, took her mobile phone and rang her mother telling her: "I enjoyed raping your girl."

Quinn was then given an eight-year term for the attack but was released in August last year.

Last night, West Belfast MLA Jennifer McCann has called on the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to act in relation to repeat offenders and their release and monitoring when back into the community.

"This is the second case in the space of a month where a repeat offender has been released into the community and has been found to be once again involved in serious criminal behaviour, despite so called safeguards and monitoring conditions being in place.

"Michael Quinn being back in front of the courts not long after the previous convictions highlights that the criminal justice system is not dealing with repeat offenders in a way that is either credible nor thoughtful of the victims," she fumed.

"If Quinn was able to be in a place where he shouldn't have been and only arrested following a call to the police after attempting a burglary and the use of a sniffer-dog then serious questions need answered as to what other times he broke his release conditions.

"Following the devolution of policing and justice to the Assembly there is now the opportunity to examine and reform the criminal justice system in such a way that these issues would be dealt with in satisfactory manner and confidence can be built with the public in this system," the Sinn Fein politician said.

(BMcC/KMcA)