Two men jailed for raping woman in underground car park

Two men have been jailed for raping a woman in an underground car park in County Tyrone.

Luis Dos Martins Mariano, 20, with an address of Sloan Street, and Alcino Soares, 21, with an address of Braeside, also in Dungannon, both previously pleaded guilty to rape.

Both men moved to Northern Ireland from East Timor when they were younger.

The rape took place on 10 September 2023 when both men were 17 and some of it was recorded on CCTV. The victim was 19 at the time.

At Downpatrick Crown Court on Thursday the judge sentenced both men to six years, three of those will be served in prison and three out on license.

Both men appeared in court via video link from Hydebank prison.

Judge Richard Greene said the CCTV footage of the incident "makes for disturbing viewing".

He also commended the "bravery" of the victim coming forward and said she was a "survivor".

He said her impact statement was both "eloquent and moving".

Judge Greene said the victim was subjected to a "prolonged and humiliating ordeal" with Soares and Mariano taking turns to rape her.

"It should have been obvious to both of them she was intoxicated and she was less able to recognise the danger she was in, she was not capable of resisting this cowardly attack on her and she was not able to call for help," he said.

Judge Greene said taking her to a car park at this late time showed a "significant degree of planning and foresight".

When sentencing the men Judge Greene said he took into account their young age at the time of offending, their learning difficulties, the fact they had both entered guilty pleas, delays to the case and time they had already spent in prison.

Warning: This article contains details readers may find upsetting

During an earlier sentencing hearing last month, the court heard details of the rape.

During the hearing in Dungannon Crown Court on 3 September, the prosecution outlined the victim's account.

A Tetum interpreter was present in court and stood beside Soares and Mariano translating the prosecution's account.

The court heard that the victim had been on a night out in Dungannon on 9 September 2023.

She said she had been outside a fast food shop and was "quite drunk".

She said she was approached by two males who appeared to be East Timorese.

Her next memory is then of both men walking either side of her down an alleyway which led into a car park.

The victim recalled she had difficulty standing and could not talk properly.

The prosecution outlined that the victim said one of the males "started to rape" her while the other male kept watch and "stood laughing".

The prosecution said the victim also recalled being brought to the corner of the carpark were she was raped again.

She said the males eventually left her and she eventually got up and left the car park.

The prosecution also outlined CCTV in the car park recorded the events and that it was "consistent with the defendants pleas".

The prosecution said was it was clear the victim was "incapacitated and in a vulnerable state".

Both men were subsequently arrested.

In March 2025, the pair appeared together at Dungannon Crown Court where Mariano admitted rape but Soares pleaded not guilty.

Numerous adjournments followed and just before Soares was due to stand trial, in October 2025 he pleaded guilty to rape.

At Dungannon Crown Court on 3 September 2026, a defence barrister for Mariano said he was "not disputing the harm caused by this case".

The barrister outlined how an expert report had found that Mariano had a "moderate learning disability".

The barrister said when it came to his client it was a question of "age, vulnerability and cognitive ability".

The defence barrister said there was no "challenge to the integrity and strength of the victim" and that she "clearly did not consent in this case".

Mariano's barrister outlined that his client had apologised and expressed his "shame and remorse" about what had happened.

Soares' defence barrister said his client was neither fluent in either Tetum or English.

The barrister said an expert report outlined that this "language deficit" had led to difficulties and impacted his "understanding of societal norms and morals".

The barrister said Soares apologised and had "accepted his wrongdoing and his remorse".

Both men were ordered to be on the sex offenders register for life.

They were also disqualified from working with children and young adults.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Ch Insp Steph Finlay said the incident was an "appalling and deeply distressing attack on a young woman who should have been able to make her way home safely after meeting with friends".

"The actions of these two men were predatory, degrading and showed a complete disregard for their victim," the officer said.

I want to pay tribute to the tremendous courage she has shown throughout what has undoubtedly been an extremely difficult and traumatic process."

She said the sentences "hold both men accountable for their actions".