DUBLIN, Ireland: The Court of Appeal has justified the imposition of combined sentences totaling 35 years in prison against a notorious rapist who repeatedly harassed his victim and directed death threats at the lawyers in his trial.

Stating that the offences were at "the highest level of gravity", Justice Patrick McCarthy, on December 15, dismissed an appeal by Michael Murray (55) and ruled, "The question of good character does not come into the case. There are no mitigating factors."

Murray was found guilty in 2021 of making death threats against barristers Dominic McGinn SC in November 2014 and Tony McGillicuddy BL in January 2015. They prosecuted the rape case against him in the summer of 2013.

He was also convicted of harassing his victim by calling her a prostitute online and making similar posts about McGinn and his former defence solicitor in January and February 2015. He had pleaded not guilty to all of these offences.

In 2013, Murray was jailed for 15 years for falsely imprisoning, raping, and sexually assaulting the woman at a Dublin apartment in February 2010, and abducting her child. His sentence was later increased to 19 years' imprisonment by the Court of Appeal, which was backdated to February 2010.

In July 2021, Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced Murray to nine years in prison for the threat to kill McGinn and seven years for the threat to McGillicuddy.

The judge sentenced Murray to the maximum seven years for harassing the woman he was convicted of raping, saying it amounted to "re-victimising [her] after such serious and violent offending."

Judge O'Connor ruled that Murray would serve the nine-year sentence for threatening McGinn and the seven-year term for harassing his victim consecutively. The judge also ruled that the combined sentence would begin after the completion of Murray's original 19-year rape sentence.

Murray has 34 previous convictions, including for common assault, firearms offences, robbery, and aggravated burglary, dating back to 1987.

In July, Murray appealed the severity of the 16-year sentence. His counsel, Barry White SC, told a three-judge court that the trial judge had failed to apply the "totality principle," which requires that the overall sentence be fair, just, and proportionate.

White said the trial judge concluded there was no mitigation, but had also acknowledged during the trial that Murray saved time and resources through concessions. He added that Murray was "of some considerable age."

Delivering the appeal judgment, Justice McCarthy said that until Murray was taken into custody for the rape and related offences, he continued to commit serious crimes, including armed robbery and aggravated burglary.