Victim praised for 'remarkable strength' as rapists are jailed for total of 40 years

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A rape victim has been praised for her ‘strength and resilience’ after enduring a second trial which saw her attackers jailed for a total of 40 years.

Aged just 18 at the time, the woman, now 22, was subjected to a horrific ordeal as three much older men took turns to rape her.

But the victim was determined to see justice, leading to James Marcus Doherty, 42, Steven John Cannon, 46, and Graham Peter Skillicorn, 66, being put behind bars.

The three were found guilty of rape by a jury at the end of a 12-day trial at the Court of General Gaol Delivery after denying the offence.

They had previously been found guilty of the same offence following a trial in October 2024 but successfully appealed against their convictions on a point of law.

However, they were found guilty again and, during sentencing on Wednesday, Doherty was jailed for 16 years, Cannon for 13 years and Skillicorn for 11 years.

In a harrowing impact statement read by prosecutor Kathryn Johnson, the victim said: ‘When the original conviction was quashed I was devastated and had the trauma of going through the trial once more.

‘Everyone said I was so strong but I felt I could barely carry on and wanted everything to end.

‘I made the difficult decision to go through the process again and I knew what was coming. I was made to feel inhuman and was called a liar.’

Her mental health has been severely affected by what she has endured.

‘I want to feel anything but the weight of James Doherty’s body on me,’ she said, ‘and them all standing around. I was just a girl and they were grown men. I go back to being that girl and wish I could save myself.

‘I tried to attempt suicide on a number of occasions. My mental health is a daily struggle.

‘I feel like my life went in an instant that night and has been destroyed forever. It has been four years but it feels like an eternity.

‘I have now given evidence in two trials and it feels like I have been raped again and I have had to relive what these people did to me.

‘My life has changed forever. That night, three violent individuals took away my innocence and spark. The memories of that night will never go away.’

The victim spent time at Manannan Court and has since been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The trial heard how the three men took advantage of the vulnerable, young and heavily intoxicated woman for their own sexual gratification.

The offences took place at Skillicorn’s flat on Cushag Road, Anagh Coar, in the early hours of June 25, 2022. The victim did not know the three men before that evening and only met them through a mutual friend.

The victim, her friend, Doherty and Cannon had been drinking and taking drugs earlier before making their way to Skillicorn’s home.

The victim was in the lounge with the other men. She described blacking out before coming to with Doherty on top of her.

She said she could not move while the three men took turns raping her.

The victim said a fourth defendant, who was found not guilty of indecent assault, was a friend. When he walked into the room, she whispered to him to help her, but he ignored her and videoed her being raped.

While she admitted not fighting off the men, the victim insisted she never consented and simply froze.

‘I just sat there and did not move,’ she said. ‘I thought that if I kept my head straight and tried not to process what was happening, it would be over soon.’

After the assaults, the woman jumped off the armchair, grabbed her underwear and ran into the spare room where her friend was sleeping on a mattress. She was highly distressed and visibly crying.

Later that morning, she confided in a friend about what had happened and he encouraged her to call police.

Doherty and Cannon, who previously lived at Murray’s Road, Douglas, but whose addresses were given in court as care of the prison, accepted they had sex with the woman but claimed it was consensual. Skillicorn denied having sex with her.

They claimed the victim kissed each of them and instigated the sexual contact.

But the jury rejected their accounts and took around five hours to return unanimous guilty verdicts.

The defence advocates all pointed out that the victim was not plied with alcohol and that no violence was involved.

David Reynolds, for Cannon, said his client had been going through a difficult period and was drinking heavily at the time of the offence.

He added: ‘Had my client not been arrested, he would probably be dead but he is now addressing his drinking.’

Advocate Andrew Selby, for Skillicorn, said his client had complex mental health and physical difficulties.

While all three defendants have previous convictions, none have any for sexual offences.

Acting Deemster Sandeep Kainth said he was not treating the fact that the victim had to go through a second trial as an aggravating feature because it had resulted from a fault in law.

But he said: ‘The victim described being treated like a slave with each man taking their turn. The jury rejected entirely that she was a willing participant and she was in no position to consent.

‘There has been a lack of appreciation over the gravity of what happened. There has been no demonstration whatsoever of genuine remorse.’

Deemster Kainth praised the victim for going through two trials to ensure the three men were convicted.

He said: ‘The strength and resilience you have demonstrated has been remarkable. Had you not had the courage and fortitude to make a complaint these rapists would still be out and about.’

Isle of Man Constabulary welcomed the guilty verdicts and also praised the victim.

Detective Inspector Nicholas Haxby said: ‘The victim in this case has shown remarkable courage throughout an extremely difficult investigation and court process.

‘Reporting sexual offending and then giving evidence about deeply personal and traumatic matters takes significant strength. She has had to revisit what happened over a prolonged period, and the dignity and resilience she has shown should not be underestimated.

‘I would also like to recognise the dedication of those who have supported this investigation and prosecution.’