A man who sexually assaulted a woman 12 years ago recently sent her a disturbing Facebook message confessing, “So I raped you.” Ian Cleary, the perpetrator, assaulted the woman during their time in university. Despite her initial report to the authorities, no action was taken for over a decade. However, when Cleary sent the message, it reopened old wounds for the victim, leading to his eventual arrest.
Cleary, now 32, was sentenced to two to four years in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, after a judge labeled his actions as “horrifying.” The assault took place when Cleary sneaked into the woman’s university residence and attacked her on the eve of Christmas break. The victim, then an 18-year-old student in her first semester on campus, suffered the traumatic experience.
In 2019, Cleary attempted to seek redemption by sending the woman a vile message on social media as part of a rehabilitation program. However, this only added to the victim’s distress, prompting her to press charges against him. In a poignant victim impact statement during the court proceedings, she criticized the system for failing to protect her and countless other women.
Despite facing a potential maximum sentence of 10 years for the assault, Cleary received a lesser punishment, much to the disappointment of the victim’s lawyer, Andrea Levy. While acknowledging Cleary’s admission of guilt and remorse, the judge emphasized the importance of accountability and contrition in the case.
Following the assault, Cleary left Gettysburg and completed his studies in Silicon Valley, California, before being brought back to Pennsylvania to face justice. The victim expressed relief that accountability was finally achieved after 12 years, despite the lost evidence and passage of time. The impact of the incident continued to haunt her and her family, underscoring the lasting effects of such trauma.