A prolific offender against females who sexually attacked a woman he met through a dating website, has been encouraged to move on with his life, and “find a wife or partner, and get a family and a home together".

Cathal Patrick Feeney (36) from Main Street, Beragh first appeared in court over two years ago, originally charged with raping the victim in her home.

On being returned for trial at Dungannon Crown Court, he went on to accept a lesser charge of sexual assault by penetration.

He and the victim met through the ‘Plenty of Fish’ site and enjoyed a night out without incident.

During a second date over dinner in a hotel in March 2020, the victim became uncomfortable, describing Feeney as “paranoid and argumentative".

She went home but within minutes of entering her house, Feeney arrived at the door.

She agreed to let him in but warned there would be “no funny business".

However Feeney sexually assaulted her, paying no attention when she cried out.

The victim fled but Feeney followed saying: “It’ll be alright. We’ll talk in the morning.”

When arrested, he insisted being at a different address at the time.

Bail was refused after a police officer said Feeney: “Is considered dangerous to females. He has 67 previous offences, some of which are domestic in nature. He is managed by a specialist unit as a violent offender.”

At the most recent court sitting Judge Brian Sherrard KC noted the victim remains extremely traumatised and “in her own words, isn’t the woman she was".

Feeney was drunk at the time and “while that may explain the behaviour, it affects the significance of offending. The defendant ignored the victim’s objections, prioritised himself and ran roughshod over her concerns".

Noting eight women have taken out Non-Molestation Orders against Feeney over time, including his mother and grandmother, there are also numerous convictions for assaults and breaches of court orders on record, with the majority of offending occurring while intoxicated

Judge Sherrard said all this: “Marks the defendant as a belligerent, drunken thug, a bully and a nuisance. I have no doubt he represents a risk of violence but I do not see him as a risk of serious harm. He continues to distance himself from this offence and needs to work on victim insight.”

The Judge told Feeney: “Your relationship with alcohol is extremely problematic. You struggle to recognise the import of what occurred and you pose a high risk of reoffending, based on your history.”

A Probation Officer considered Feeney to be dangerous, but Judge Sherrard felt the threshold wasn’t met, and while accepting offending has escalated, this was the first sexual offence.

It was noted Feeney received support from prison chaplain Father Michael Bingham who although recently passed away found: “The character image of the defendant being a menace to vulnerable women is one I find hard to reconcile given his moral sensibilities.”

Judge Sherrard sentenced Feeney to four-and-half-years imprisonment, the bulk of which has been served on remand.

A Sexual Offences Prevention Order was imposed to run for seven years, however the Judge refused to ban Feeney from contacting females by the internet as “I do not want him excluded from normal life. It’s not the online contact which proved problematic but rather the behaviour afterwards".

Sex-offender registration was ordered indefinitely.

Concluding, Judge Sherrard told Feeney: “You are still a young man. There’s nothing that will stop you moving on with your life in a more productive way, finding work or finding a wife or partner, getting a family and a home. The order imposed is the lightest touch I can afford.”