Two men jailed for rape of woman in Dungannon car park

Two men, Luis Dos Martins Mariano and Alcino Soares, have been sentenced to six years in prison for the rape of a 19-year-old woman in an underground car park in Dungannon, County Tyrone.

The attack occurred in the early hours of September 10, 2023. The defendants, who both moved to Northern Ireland from East Timor as children, approached the victim while she was out with friends. They led her into an empty car park on Sloan Street, where they took turns raping her. During the assault, one of the men recorded the incident on a mobile phone. CCTV footage captured the incident, which a judge described as “disturbing” and “predatory group activity.”

Both men will serve half of their six-year sentences in custody and the remainder on licence. They have also been placed on the sex offenders register for life and are subject to 10-year Sexual Offences Protection Orders. Following the ruling, Unionist MLA Doug Beattie criticized the sentences as “unduly lenient” and stated he would contact the Director of Public Prosecutions to review the matter.