Six-Year Prison Sentence Delivered for Dungannon Underground Car Park Rape
Two men who targeted a 19-year-old woman in an underground car park in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, have each been sentenced to six years in prison. Luis Dos Martins Mariano and Alcino Soares committed the attack during the early hours of September 10, 2023, irishtimes.com reported.
The defendants, both aged 20 and residing in Dungannon, will serve half of their sentences in custody and half on licence. Judge Richard Greene imposed the six-year prison terms at Dungannon Crown Court, placing both men on the sex offenders register for life and subjecting them to Sexual Offences Protection Orders for 10 years, as detailed by irishtimes.com.
Encounter and Assault Unfold in Deserted Town Centre Car Park
The 19-year-old victim had been out with friends in Dungannon town centre when Mariano and Soares approached her randomly. The two men walked her—one on either side—into an empty underground car park on Sloan Street.
Mariano dragged the victim to a corner and raped her, while Soares paced up and down, laughed, and acted as a lookout. When the victim managed to stumble away, Soares pursued her, pulled down her lower clothing, and raped her a second time. During the assault, Mariano laughed while recording the attack on his mobile phone before both men fled, leaving the victim lying on the ground. The victim eventually made her way back to her friends and returned home, prompting an immediate police investigation that secured CCTV footage of the entire incident.
Soares Denies Rape While Mariano Pleads Guilty
Police apprehended Alcino Soares after receiving reports that he was following women and filming them on his phone. Officers matched his DNA to evidence recovered from the victim’s clothing. Upon caution, Soares denied the allegations, telling officers, “I didn’t rape anyone. No way man. That wasn’t me,” and insisted the encounter was consensual. Luis Dos Martins Mariano was arrested a week later and identified by a detective as the instigator of the attack.
In the legal proceedings, the two defendants took different paths before the courts. Mariano pleaded guilty to rape in March 2025 at Dungannon Crown Court and was remanded in custody. Soares initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea in October 2025 just as his trial was about to begin, rte.ie reported. Both men moved to Northern Ireland from East Timor when they were younger, and Judge Greene noted that they worked in concert to commit the offence.
Judicial Findings on Risk and Lack of Insight
Psychological and pre-sentence assessments classed both Soares and Mariano as presenting a medium risk of reoffending. Judge Greene stated that the defendants “blamed the victim, minimised and justified their actions” and displayed a total “lack of awareness of their behaviour or empathy.”
While Mariano remained concerned primarily about the threat of deportation, Soares attributed his offending to alcohol consumption. Detective Chief Inspector Steph Finlay condemned the assault as an “appalling” and “deeply distressing” attack carried out by men whose actions were “predatory, degrading and showed a complete disregard for their victim,” according to rte.ie. Judge Greene praised the female survivor for delivering an “elegant, measured and moving account” in her victim impact statement, adding that her bravery in coming forward was to be commended.
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