Bláthnaid Raleigh questions absence of support from ‘younger male demographic’

Bláthnaid Raleigh has questioned a lack of support towards her from the “younger male demographic” after her attacker was jailed.

Jonathan Moran from Towerview, Mullingar raped her in a shed after a night out in Galway in 2019 and was last month charged with rape and aggravated assault.

He was sentenced last week to nine years in prison, with one year suspended, and is currently being held in Mountjoy Prison.

Ms Raleigh, from just outside Mullingar, had waived her right to anonymity so that he could also be named.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner this week, she said she has received an “outpouring” of support since the case came to light.

“I got thousands of messages of support and a lot of messages from people saying similar things had happened to them,” she said.

“A lot of people said that they were going through the court process at the moment, or they weren’t sure whether to go through the court process. There were lots of messages like that, a worrying amount, really.”

Ms Raleigh said there’s been a notable lack of support from the younger male demographic.

“Out of the thousands of messages, I’d say about 95% of them are from women and the rest are men, but generally older men aged in their 50s and above,” she said.

“Basically, there’s nothing from that younger male demographic. I don’t think it resonates with men as much, because they don’t understand that fear of this also happening to them, so it just resonates with women a bit more.”

“It’s like they can’t seem to stand up and voice their disgust or anything like that, which I think is really strange.”

She said it’s important for young men to reflect and look inwards when they come across cases such as these.

“This is by no means an ‘I hate men’ campaign,” she said.

“It’s just that I think we all need to have a look and say, ‘If I saw somebody say something inappropriate, or do something inappropriate, would I be able to stand up and say anything?’

“This was a very violent case, very high up on the spectrum of sexual violence, so if you can’t say anything about that, how are you going to call out something a lot more minor?”

Ms Raleigh said there might also be an element of awkwardness to it for young men.

“Because it’s of such a high level and because of the nature of it, people feel awkward about it,” she said.

“They might want to say something but they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing – I think there’s an element of that to it.”

Ms Raleigh said she avoided her local town for years in fear of meeting her attacker.

“Because I knew him and I knew where he lived, I just avoided it really,” she said.

“I had seen him in town twice since it happened and it wouldn’t bother him, he brazenly carried on, and he wouldn’t leave or anything like that.”

Ms Raleigh said she was forced to change how she lived her life to avoid her attacker.

I’m just 10 minutes outside Mullingar, it would have been my local town for nights out, even for doing my food shopping,” she said.

“That’s all changed now, and I go to Tullamore for everything, literally everything, and I avoid Mullingar.

“But the fear is gone now, that fear of seeing him, so I don’t have to worry about that now and I wouldn’t mind it as much going back into the town.”

Since the sentencing, Ms Raleigh has done interviews ranging from TV, to podcasts and newspapers.

She said it was always her intention to waive her anonymity and share the story once the case concluded.

“It was just something that I had decided myself, I suppose, because he was local and because it was so hidden,” she said.

“I wanted a name for people to know because I thought he’d keep his perfect life if it wasn’t out there and start a different narrative of what had happened.

“I also thought I could help other people going through a similar situation, that my story could give comfort to someone else and show them that they’re not alone.”

She has now started a raffle and online fundraiser in aid of the Dublin and Midland Rape Crisis Centres.

“I used their services for the five years and I’m going to continue to use them, they’re excellent,” she said.

“There’s a lot of people who these things have happened to, and they might not have the support of family, or friends and these services could be the only support they have.

“We have a pair of Ireland v New Zealand rugby tickets in the raffle, a voucher for Wilfs and things like that and it would be great if people could support it because it is such a great service.”

Those who wish to donate can do so by visiting idonate.ie/fundraiser/blathnaidraleigh