Browse
Log in / Register
Share
A Northern Ireland judge has sentenced two men to six years in prison for raping a 19-year-old woman in a deserted underground car park in Dungannon, County Tyrone, in 2023. The sentencing, confirmed on May 9, 2026, ends a long-running case that relied on CCTV, DNA evidence, and a phone video recorded by one of the attackers.
Luis Dos Martins Mariano, 20, from Sloan Street in Dungannon, and Alcino Soares, 21, from Braeside in Dungannon, attacked the victim on September 10, 2023. Mariano admitted rape in March 2025 at Dungannon Crown Court. Soares initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea in October 2025. Both were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Judge Richard Greene handed down identical sentences, saying he did not intend to differentiate between the two defendants. The six-year term will be split equally between custody and supervised release, meaning each man will serve three years in prison before being released on licence.
The court heard that the victim had been out with friends when Mariano and Soares approached her without warning. The two men walked her through the streets of Dungannon to an empty underground car park, positioning themselves one on either side of her. Once inside, they led her to a corner of the car park, where Mariano raped her while Soares stood watch, pacing and laughing.
Mariano then recorded part of the assault on his phone as Soares took his turn. Soares pulled the victim’s lower clothing down and raped her while Mariano watched. The attack ended with the victim left on the ground as the two men walked away.
Despite the ordeal, the victim managed to return to her friends and later made her way home. Police were alerted and quickly obtained CCTV footage from the car park that captured the entire incident. That footage became a central piece of evidence in the prosecution.
Soares was not arrested in connection with the rape right away. Officers came across him after receiving separate reports that he had been following women and filming them with his phone. He was taken into custody, and a DNA sample taken from him matched evidence recovered from the victim’s clothing.
After the arrest, Soares was cautioned and gave a short denial, saying: “I didn’t rape anyone. No way man. That wasn’t me.” He later claimed that the sexual activity was consensual and that the victim “wanted it.”
Mariano was arrested a week after Soares. A detective later described him in court as the “instigator” of the attack.
Both men moved to Northern Ireland from East Timor when they were younger. The judge noted that both were youths at the time of the offence, though Soares turned 18 the week after the attack.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Greene said the attack was made worse by the way the two men worked together to isolate and assault the victim. He pointed out that they took her away from her friends and left her with no means of escape. He described the incident as a “prolonged, humiliating ordeal” and a “cowardly attack.”
The judge also said the men likely believed the victim would be unable to give a reliable account to police after what happened. He noted that they chose a car park they knew would be deserted, which showed a degree of planning.
The court heard victim impact evidence from the woman, described by the judge as an “elegant, measured and moving account.” He praised her bravery in coming forward. At the same time, he said both men had tried to blame the victim, minimize their own actions, and show a lack of empathy. Mariano was recorded by jail staff as being more concerned about whether he would be deported than about the harm he had caused. Soares, for his part, blamed alcohol and showed what the judge called a “sheer lack of insight” along with disregard for the victim.
The judge accepted that neither man met the formal legal threshold for dangerousness, which would have allowed a more restrictive sentence. He said they were both assessed as medium risk of reoffending. But he added that their failure to accept responsibility made it difficult to see how they could meaningfully engage with rehabilitation.
Each defendant received six years’ imprisonment, with three years to be served in custody and three years on licence in the community. Under Northern Ireland’s sentencing framework for this type of offence, the licence period is not optional: it is a mandatory part of the sentence calculation. Both men will be subject to strict supervision after their release.
The judge also imposed Sexual Offences Prevention Orders on both men for 10 years. They will remain on the sex offenders register for life. This means their addresses, movements, and any contact with children or vulnerable people will be monitored by police after they leave prison.
Legal observers have noted that sexual assault cases with no independent witnesses often depend heavily on forensic and digital evidence. In this case, the CCTV footage was unusually complete because it showed the entire sequence from the moment the victim entered the car park to the point where she stumbled away. The phone video allegedly recorded by Mariano may have played a role in undermining the defence of consent, although the details of that video were not fully read out in open court due to the sensitive nature of the material.
The case is also seen as an example of how police in Northern Ireland are using mobile phone evidence to build rape prosecutions. The arrest of Soares was triggered by reports that he was filming women in a separate incident, and that stop led to the DNA match that connected him to the attack. Without that match, the case may have taken longer to reach court.
The judge’s comments about the victim’s impact statement were widely echoed by court observers. She gave her account in person rather than submitting a written statement, which is a right available to victims in many Crown Court proceedings. The judge said her bravery was “to be commended.”
Sexual abuse support organisations in Northern Ireland have previously emphasized that survivors who go through trial or sentencing face a long and stressful process. In this case, the victim had to wait more than two years from the date of the attack to see the final sentence. The guilty pleas, especially Soares’ late change of plea, meant that she was spared a full contested trial, but the delay itself can add to the trauma.
The case also highlights a broader concern about the low number of rape convictions in the region. While this sentence reflects the seriousness of the attack, advocates have called for changes to how the justice system handles sexual violence, including faster court scheduling and better specialist training for prosecutors and judges.
For now, the matter is legally closed. Mariano and Soares will begin serving their prison terms immediately. After their release, they will be subject to strict controls for a decade and will remain on the sex offender list for life. The young woman who survived the attack has been able to see that the courts believed her account, and the judge’s ruling leaves no room for doubt about who was responsible.
