Victim speaks out after rapist jailed for 12 years

A YOUNG woman tied up and raped at a gaming convention in Dublin said she can “feel safe again” after her attacker was jailed for 12 years earlier this week.
Dominique Meehan (25) waived her right to anonymity to expose the actions of Keith Hearne, from Allenton Drive in Tallaght, who tied her up and raped her in a hotel meeting room while she was preparing for a presentation.
Hearne (28) pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one count of oral rape and one count of falsely imprisoning Ms Meehan at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown on July 4, 2015 during the ArcadeCon convention.
Ms Meehan, from Donegal, said: “I had fears that he could corner me while he was out on bail. But now that I know he is behind bars I can feel safe again.
“I felt I had to expose what he did because there are still a lot of people in the gaming world who follow him on Facebook, and I wanted them to know who he is so they could be safe.”
The Central Criminal Court heard how Hearne bound Ms Meehan’s hands with his tie and raped her.
He told her he had a knife in his bag and would use it, and threatened to break her neck.
The attack stopped when another conference worker heard her screams and entered the room with a key card.
Hearne was arrested and his backpack, containing a prop knife, handcuffs, condoms, a mask and other “sadomasochistic” items, was found at the scene.
Ms Meehan told the court how she woke up every night crying for months after the attack, “thinking he had come back to finish the job”.
She added that she is gay, and feels that more was taken from her in the attack because of this.