DEAN Barry, a 24-year-old man who was part of a gang convicted for the rape of a woman in Cratloe Woods in 2004, was found dead in his cell last Sunday. Barry, on remand for an alleged arson attack on a house with his mother and girlfriend inside, was sharing a cell with his brother Mark who is serving a sentence for robbery. Prison officers returned to the cell shortly after lunchtime on Sunday last to find Dean Barry unconscious. With an address at Garryglass Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Barry was found hanging from a sheet next to the bed in his cell.
It was confirmed that he received medical attention at the prison and paramedics took him to the Md-Western Regional Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
A note was found in the cell where Dean Barry apologised for his past crimes and said goodbye to his family.
Since his release from prison for the viscous sex crime in 2004, Barry had found himself in a number of brushes with the law over the last 12 months including public order breaches and he received a four-month prison sentence for failing to inform gardai of a change of address after being placed on the sex offenders register.
Dean Barry was one of four teens and a 25-year-old man who were convicted of the rape of a woman in Cratloe Woods and the serious assault of a man who was locked in the boot during the ordeal.
Dean Barry, Thomas O’Neill, then 16 years of age and from Lenihan Avenue, along with Darragh Ryan also 16 and from Ballinacurra Weston and Jason Ring, 14 and from Crecora Avenue each raped the woman in what was called one of the most viscous and brutal sex crimes in recent times. 25-year-old Stephen Barry of Roxboro Road was also convicted of the rape of the woman.
Barry, 16 at the time, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his part in the gang rape. He was released from prison in Dublin in October 2010.
