Serial sex offender to be sentenced for attacks on women he met on Tinder

A serial sex offender who attacked three women in the space of eleven days after meeting them through the Tinder dating app will be sentenced for two of the attacks next month.

Patrick Nevin (37) attacked the women during their first meeting after they had being texting each other on Tinder and over the mobile phone.

In texts sent before meeting up one victim told Nevin that she was not interested in meeting for a “one night stand” or a hook up. Nevin agreed but after driving her to a secluded spot he raped her.

Reading from her own victim impact statement the mother of one told the Central Criminal Court  that she feels “tainted, dirty and stupid” for meeting up with Nevin. She said that her life has changed since what is “the worst night of my life”.

“When I signed up to Tinder it was to look for a potential relationship. I wasn't aware I was meeting a monster.

“He said OK when I messaged saying I wasn't looking for sex. I assumed he was OK with just going for a drive and a chat. He 100% abused that trust and just used me like a piece of dirt”.

Last July Nevin pleaded guilty to rape of this 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.

The father-of-two was due to stand trial on that occasion but changed his pleas to guilty following a legal ruling, which would allow the prosecution to introduce evidence from other women describing attacks by Nevin on a first date.

Today (Monday 19th) the victim of the rape told the court: “To say I was terrified is an understatement. After he raped me I was convinced he was going to leave me for dead in that area – beside an old graveyard.

“I had images running through my head of how he was going to kill me. He had the strength”.

The victim impact statement of the other woman was handed into court but not read out, apart from excerpts read out by lawyers for Nevin.

Nevin's attack on her was recorded by his phone and he can be heard getting angry and telling her to get out and walk home if she didn't have sex with him. Sergeant Selina Proudfoot said the number of times the victim said no to Nevin during the 44 minute long ordeal was “notable”.

The former UCD student and computer programmer was separately convicted by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last December (2017) of sexually assaulting a third woman, a Brazilian student, after driving her to the UCD campus in south Dublin on July 23, 2014. He had denied the offence and he is to be sentenced for this only this coming Friday.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon remanded Nevin in continuing custody for sentence on December 17 next.

Formerly of Meadowlands Court, Mounttown Road, Dún Laoghaire and Dundalk, Co Louth, Nevin has a previous conviction for assault on a former partner in 2001. The court heard that he battered the woman's two dogs to death before punching and kicking the woman in a prolonged assault which only ended when he finally fell asleep.

He was jailed for seven years for this attack and released in 2007. In April 2012 he was given a suspended four year sentence for a firearms conviction. Gda Buckley said that in April 2010 Nevin had committed a minor traffic infringement and then failed to stop.

During a garda pursuit that followed he threw a stun gun from the car. He was still serving this suspended sentence when he committed the sex attacks in July 2014.

In all of the “Tinder” attacks Nevin would convince the women to meet with him for a drive and he would pick them up at their home in a blue BMW. The court heard the women were fearful after the attack because Nevin knew where they lived.

Lawyers for Nevin asked the court to consider in mitigation his guilty plea and said this plea was of comfort to the victims.

Paddy McGrath SC, defending, said the plea was an expression of Nevin's remorse. The plea came after the defence lost a legal battle to prevent evidence of similar type “first date” attacks by Nevin being heard by the jury.

Mr McGrath also said Nevin had written letters of apology to the victims. He said that his client was a relatively young man and asked the court to leave him some light at end of the tunnel.