Why don't the media show the faces of convicted rapists?

[penguinsanonymous]

Just that, really. I'm in Ireland, where a man has just been sentenced to 15 years in prison for breaking into a stranger's home and violently raping her. He pleaded guilty and was found guilty. This wasn't even his first offense. He actually committed the crime ten days after being released for stabbing another woman.

I understand why the woman has chosen to remain anonymous, and I fully respect that. But why is it that every single Irish news outlet reporting on this verdict has a stock picture of a courtroom on it, instead of a picture of this man's face? Fifteen years isn't a long time. He's a repeat offender, and all the articles talk about what a danger he'll be to society (read: women) when he gets out. But we're given no information about him. No way to know if he's standing right in front of us.

Is there something I'm just not getting here? It comes across as if the media cares more about protecting this man than protecting his future victims. His name is Edmund O Sullivan and he was apparently a homeless drug user. He's not related to the victim or local to the place where he carried out the crime, and we can apparently be given his name and those personal details just fine. But no picture? It just doesn't make sense to me

If they are guilty they should be named

If they aren't using a picture, it's probably because they don't have one. Homeless drifters don't tend to be frequently photographed, and presumably the Gardai haven't released the mugshot for whatever reason.

The woman hasn't chosen to be anonymous.
She has a right to automatic anonymity under the law.
Rapists don't have the same right unless they are under the age of 18.
The police usually issue mugshots after sentence when the crime is deemed serious enough.
However, mugshots don't always exist.
Press photographers will often attempt to get pictures of defendants as they leave or arrive at court.
However, it's not always possible. It can be easy to miss a defendant. Often, they cover their faces.
Sometimes, the media source pictures of defendants from social media. However, they must get these independently ID'd by sources close to the defendant before publication.
Again, it's not always possible.
This isn't an attempt by the media to protect the rapist.
I agree it's very important his face is out there in order to warn other women what he's capable of.
If fault lies with anyone here, it is the police, not the media.

If she has been brave enough to sit in a courtroom then she has been noted going in and out, photos of her will be on cameras everywhere and the bottom feeding red tops would have a field day identifying her. They are not naming HIM to protect HER. Not to protect him.

Why don't the media show the faces of convicted rapists?

Surely this is blindingly obvious.

Rapists, or indeed all criminals are protected from their ethnicity being exposed.

Ah yes because sure tis only the foreigners that come into Ireland in order to create havoc, our own do nothing wrong. Give me strength.

Again it is to protect the victims identity not the criminals. She has to rights to anonymity too after he ruined her life.

Incidentally this fella is white and Irish.

I understand that someone may not have pictures of themselves online, and I don't blame the media if he's covering his face on the way into court and they can't get a good shot. But why is that the only way for them to get a picture of someone like this?

He's in custody. It can't be that hard to get a picture. Why don't we have a system in place where a picture is taken and given to the media, so it can be included in the reporting when someone is found guilty? Why isn't there an official channel it can go through?

It seems crazy that someone can be a threat to the public and we just shrug it off and pretend it doesn't matter that we have no idea what he looks like.

Which country are you in? In the UK their photos are printed as well as their name unless it's intro familial and could therefore identify the victim.

Sorry just re read that you're in Ireland. Duh

He has been sentenced to 15 years, he is not a threat to the public until he is released so we do not need to see his face. We also do not need to see the face of teh victim and the two are linked through his crime. Again, it is to protect HER not him. That said if you google enough you will find pics of him everywhere, his name was published and it is not that hard to find someone in Ireland if you really NEED to see what he looks like. I am just happy he is behind bars.

In England we do have this system in place and I suspect in Ireland too.

However, there are sometimes exceptions.

If you are that interested or concerned you could contact the press office of your local police force and ask them.

It is definitely not the case that the press are protecting him.

There's a seriously weird tone to some of these responses. Not at all what I'd expect on the feminism board.

The derail into Irish vs foreigners was expected, though more like something you'd see on The Journal than Mumsnet.

The repeated attempts to shame me for caring about women's safety though? Absolutely fucking not expected. The passive aggressive "if you care go much go ask the guards yourself" attitude? The "if you NEED to see his face"? (As if that's an unreasonable thing for a woman to want, and not just basic safety?) The repeated attempts to make it look as if I don't care about the victim, when I've already explained that I'm not opposed to keeping an attacker anonymous, in cases where it would expose the victim?

The reporting on this case makes it seem the attacker was a stranger, not resident to the area, and had no connection to the woman he attacked. Ten days earlier he'd been released from prison. (He'd broken into the apartment of another woman in 2022 and stabbed her.) I shouldn't have to explain that I'm coming from a place of compassion for the victim, and concern for future victims. Here, of all places, I shouldn't have to explain that. But apparently I do. Jesus. People are acting like I've tried to incite mob justice against some poor innocent. Feels like someone's going to call me "far right" any minute now 🙄

15 years in prison will drastically change how a person looks and there is no point to a picture due to the all to often mistaken identity causing a mob to end up smashing in the head of a completely innocent person who just happens to look a bit similar.

Carrying around 15yr old mug shots of convicted rapists isn’t going to keep any women safe. The U.K. publishes their photos and look, we aren’t any safer.

Is this normal for Ireland? I have to admit I'm not familiar with how rapists are reported on in the media there.

Hi OP,

Really sorry if you interpreted my tone as passive aggressive. It wasn't meant to be.

It's just the police are the only people who will be able to give you a cast iron reason. And there will be one.

This is not the media protecting the defendant.

I don't want to say what I do for a living as it will be too outing, but I do have specific knowledge of this issue. It's something I deal with day to day.

Regarding info about the defendant being omitted from reporting, this is to protect the identify of the victim from becoming public.

Abuse often happens within familial settings or by perpetrators who have some kind of relationship with the victim.

To report this often means identifying the victim, even if they are not explicitly named.

I agree there should be a picture of this man out there to warn women what he's capable of.

It is very frustrating that the police have not issued a mugshot on this occasion.

The fault lies with the police here, not the media.

But I imagine that for whatever reason they simply don't have a picture.

I'm pretty sure TVP release mugshots after sentencing. We have an unmoderated citywide Facebook group (imagine the Wild West with fewer safeguards) that publishes them as soon as the police do.