Irishman given further life sentences after rape
The 29-year-old Irishman who is serving a life prison sentence for the murder of Swiss student Manuela Riedo in 2007 received two further life sentences on Friday.
Gerald Barry attacked and raped a French student seven weeks before he killed Riedo in October in Galway.
The judge in the Irish city’s central criminal court said he had to impose the maximum penalty of life imprisonment given Barry’s propensity to kill and rape, and because he believed Barry would do so again if given the opportunity.
Barry had pleaded guilty earlier this week to the rape of the then 21-year-old French woman on August 16, 2007 and to the theft of her personal belongings.
He murdered the 17-year-old Swiss as she walked alone along a railway path leading to the Galway city on the night of October 8, 2007.
Passing sentence, the judge said Barry was a sex offender with “a quite extraordinary history of previous convictions”.
swissinfo.ch with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.