UCD graduate admits sex attacks on women he met on Tinder; also carried out vicious 2001 attack on girlfriend, and killed her dogs

A 36-year-old man has pleaded guilty to carrying out sex attacks on two women he met on Tinder.

UCD graduate admits sex attacks on women he met on Tinder; also carried out vicious 2001 attack on girlfriend, and killed her dogs

By Declan Brennan

Update 5.55pm: A man previously convicted of sexually assaulting a student has pleaded guilty to carrying out sex attacks on two other women he met on the Tinder dating app.

The trial of Patrick Nevin (36) for the rape of a woman in a parked car at a location in Co Meath in July 2014 was due to begin at the Central Criminal Court this morning. Nevin and the woman had met on the dating programme Tinder and the attack took place on their first date.

Nevin's last-minute plea of guilty followed a legal ruling on Monday morning which would allow the prosecution to introduce evidence from two other women of Nevin attacking them on a first date.

In 2001, Nevin was also found guilty of viciously attacking his then girlfriend after flying into a jealous rage. That trial heard she returned to the home they shared together to find he had killed her two dogs.

Patrick Nevin, pictured in 2001 after his conviction for assaulting his then girlfriend.
Patrick Nevin, pictured in 2001 after his conviction for assaulting his then girlfriend.

The former UCD student was convicted by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last December of sexually assaulting one of these women, a Brazilian student, after driving her to the UCD campus in south Dublin on July 23, 2014. He had denied the offence.

This morning Nevin pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape of one woman at Bellewstown, Co Meath on July 12, 2014, and to sexual assault of a second woman at an unknown place in Co Meath on July 16, 2014.

He was facing trial later this year in relation to the third victim. The three attacks over an eleven day period all followed similar modus operandi, a fact that allowed Ms Justice Eileen Creedon to rule that the jury would have been allowed to hear evidence of all the complainants.

All attacks took place when Nevin had met up with the women after talking to them first online. In each case, Nevin picked the women up in his car on a first date and drove them to a secluded spot.

The father of two is in custody since his conviction last December but has former addresses at Meadowlands Court, Mounttown Rd., Dún Laoghaire and Dundalk, Co Louth. He will be sentenced on July 26, 2018, when victim impact reports will be given to the court.

Patrick McGrath SC, defending, asked the court to order a report from a forensic psychiatric for the sentencing hearing.

At a hearing earlier this year another court heard that Nevin has a previous conviction for rape from Denmark. He was a minor in 1999 when he was convicted of rape and aggravated rape.

During legal argument last week Nevin's lawyers asked the court to order media organisations to remove reports of previous trials and offending. Ms Justice Creedon ruled against the defence application, saying that the court was not satisfied there was a real risk of an unfair trial if the material was not taken down.

As part of second legal issue prosecuting counsel submitted that the evidence of all three assaults was relevant to the case as there was a similar methodology used. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said that the court had to strike a balance between the probative value of such evidence and it's prejudicial effect.

She said that because of the similarity in the modus operandi she would accede to the request to include the evidence.

Evidence of the two offences which Nevin pleaded to today will be heard at the sentencing date next month.

The evidence of the Brazilian woman, now aged 35, was heard during the trial last December. She had just arrived in Ireland and wanted to meet Irish people to practice her English.

After some weeks of communicating with Nevin on the Tinder dating programme and on Whatsapp, she arranged to meet him. He told her he would take her to a place that had the “best coffee in Dublin” but Nevin later told gardaí that he saw the date as a “hook up” for sex.

Nevin picked her up in his car, a blue BMW, and drove her to a secluded field on UCD campus. The woman said that his demeanour then “changed completely” and he became aggressive.

She said he became like “a monster”. She said that he attacked her and she was in fear of her life and thought Nevin was going to rape her.

After the jury in the December trial left the courtroom, Nevin told his lawyers “I don't accept that verdict”.”

In his closing speech Paul Burns SC, prosecuting, had told the jurors that they might feel the woman was naive, foolish and awfully stupid but that did not give anyone the right to attack her.

He said that simply agreeing to meet someone does not make them fair game. He said the complainant was not looking for sex and at no stage did she show an interest in meeting the man for sex.

“Everyone has the right to say no to sexual advances. No-one is entitled to force themselves on another,” he said.

He said there was no reason for the woman to lie and it was highly unlikely that a woman would travel here, three years after the events in question, to mislead or make false allegations.

He asked why someone would subject themselves to what she had undergone in the courtroom, unless she was telling the truth.

Earlier: Man admits sex attacks on a number of women he met on dating app

A 36-year-old man has pleaded guilty to carrying out sex attacks on two women he met on Tinder.

Patrick Nevin pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court this morning to rape of one woman at a location in Bellewstown, Co Meath on July 12, 2014.

He also pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a second woman on July 16, 2014.

Last December the UCD graduate was convicted by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of sexually assaulting a Brazilian woman on UCD campus, south Dublin on July 23, 2014. He is due to be sentenced for that.

Nevin, with former addresses at Meadowlands Court, Mounttown Rd, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin and Dundalk, Co. Louth, carried out the three attacks in an eleven day period and all attacks took place when Nevin had met up with the women after talking to them first online.

In each case Nevin picked the women up in his car on a first date and attacked them after driving them to a secluded spot.

Nevin was due to stand trial this week for the Bettystown attack but after a legal ruling on Monday which allowed the prosecution to introduce evidence of the other allegations, he changed his plea to guilty.

This morning he entered the plea to the rape offence and to the sexual assault offence, for which he was due to stand trial later this year. He will be sentenced on July 26, 2018.

Last December's trial heard that the Brazilian woman had just arrived in Ireland and wanted to meet Irish people to practice her English.

After some weeks of communicating with Nevin on the Tinder dating programme and on Whatsapp, she arranged to meet him.

He told her he would take her to a place that had the “best coffee in Dublin” but the man later told gardaí that he saw the date as a “hook up” for sex.

He picked her up in his car, a blue BMW, and drove her to a secluded field on UCD campus. The woman said that he then “changed completely”, becoming aggressive and sexually assaulting her.

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