COSTEL PIRVU FROM CO GALWAY SENTENCED FOR RAPE IN IRELAND

In July 2022, a disturbing case unfolded involving Costel Pirvu, a man originally from Romania who had recently arrived in Ireland. Pirvu, aged 39 and formerly residing in Loughrea, Co Galway, was convicted of heinous crimes committed against a vulnerable young woman. His criminal history, which includes prior convictions abroad for attempted rape and assault, cast a long shadow over the proceedings.

According to court records, Pirvu was found guilty after a nine-day trial at the Central Criminal Court last year. The charges included three counts of rape and one count of false imprisonment. Despite the conviction, Pirvu continues to maintain his innocence, asserting that he did not commit the crimes for which he was convicted.

The incident in question took place in a town in the west of Ireland during the early hours of February 4, 2018. Detective Garda Adrian Fehily provided testimony during the trial, describing the events leading up to Pirvu’s arrest. The victim, a 19-year-old woman at the time, had been out socializing with friends who had accompanied her part of the way home. She recounted to Gardaí that she noticed a man she did not recognize watching her from a distance. Feeling uneasy, she attempted to run away, but Pirvu quickly caught her.

He forcibly restrained her, pushing her against a black jeep and then onto the ground. The court heard that he then ripped off her pants and proceeded to rape her despite her desperate efforts to escape. The young woman sustained scrapes and bruises on her arms, legs, and back during the struggle. She described feeling terrified and helpless, with Pirvu refusing to release her and threatening her to ensure compliance.

Further evidence, including CCTV footage, showed Pirvu and the victim walking back toward his apartment. The victim testified that Pirvu raped her two additional times at his residence before finally releasing her the following morning when a friend of Pirvu’s unexpectedly entered the apartment. After escaping, she ran home crying and visibly upset. Her mother was informed, and she subsequently took her daughter to the Garda station to file a formal complaint. The young woman was also taken to a Sexual Assault and Treatment Unit (SATU) for examination.

The SATU report confirmed the extent of her injuries, revealing bruises and scrapes across her face, back, breasts, arms, legs, and genital area. Notably, a 2mm laceration was found on her urethra, indicating the severity of the assault.

During sentencing, Ms. Justice Deirdre Murphy emphasized the brutality of Pirvu’s actions. She noted that he had raped the woman on the street with force and then took her to his home, where he raped her twice more under circumstances that left her feeling threatened and vulnerable. The judge also highlighted Pirvu’s criminal history, which includes convictions for robbery and attempted rape, underscoring a pattern of violent behavior.

While acknowledging the victim’s vulnerability, the judge pointed out that Pirvu was unaware of her condition and had never met her before, describing the encounter as a “chance encounter.” The court sentenced Pirvu to ten years in prison, with the final three and a half years suspended. The sentence was backdated to August 2018, when Pirvu was taken into custody following his arrest on the night of the attack.

Following his arrest, authorities conducted a search of Pirvu’s apartment and collected a DNA sample. Initially, Pirvu denied any involvement or knowledge of the victim, claiming he had not left his residence that night. However, once DNA evidence linked him to the crime—specifically, semen found on the victim—Pirvu admitted to having met her. He claimed that she had voluntarily returned to his home and that their sexual encounter was consensual.

The victim’s impact statement, read aloud in court, painted a harrowing picture of her suffering. She described how Pirvu had dragged her down the street, covering her mouth to prevent her from breathing, and threatened to kill her if she did not comply. She expressed feelings of being dehumanized, stating, “I felt like a piece of meat.” She recounted her efforts to fight and escape, but emphasized that Pirvu was much stronger than her.

The young woman shared that the trauma has left her feeling permanently broken inside. She described ongoing struggles with PTSD, nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks. Her mental health has deteriorated, leading to depression and suicidal thoughts. She also revealed that she had engaged in self-harm, feeling that her life was no longer her own.

She expressed distress over recounting her ordeal repeatedly in court and felt humiliated by the process, especially when her photographs were shown to strangers. The emotional toll was evident as she described feeling weak, sick, and vomiting on her way home from court. The court also noted that Pirvu had three previous convictions in Romania and Germany, including for robbery, attempted rape, and assault, indicating a troubling pattern of violent and predatory behavior.