By Ronan Judge
A Galway woman who was in the “depths of addiction” when she falsely claimed she had been raped and beaten up by her husband and brother-in-law has received an 18-month suspended prison sentence.
Valerie McDonagh (40), with an address at Walter Macken Place, Mervue, pleaded guilty that on February 15, 2022, and February 23, 2022, she made false statements tending to show offences had been committed.
Detective Garda Greg Gander told Galway Circuit Court that in February 2022, the accused reported to Gardaí she had been thrown into the back of a car in Knocknacarra Retail Park by her husband and brother-in-law. The court heard Valerie McDonagh alleged that while in the vehicle she was raped and beaten up before being thrown out.
Det Gander said the priorities after the complaint was made were the welfare of the complainant and the harnessing of forensic evidence.
He agreed with prosecuting counsel, Brendan McDonagh BL, that Gardaí had no reason not to believe Ms McDonagh.
The court heard her marriage was difficult, violent and the couple lived in substandard accommodation where drug use was rampant.
However, the court heard that an examination of the accused at the Mullingar Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) found no obvious signs of trauma and no semen was detected.
Detective Gander told the court that it became “very obvious, very quickly” that the alleged offending vehicle could not be located after a trawl of local CCTV.
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