Sligo B&B owner (67) raped guest

A 67-year-old Sligo bed-and-breakfast proprietor has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years imprisonment, with the final eighteen months suspended, following his conviction for rape. The man, who operated the establishment at Moneygold, Mount Temple, was found guilty by jury at the Central Criminal Court in February of raping a female guest between 22 and 23 February 2020. The victim, a European woman in her twenties and the sole guest at the time, reported that she had no recollection of events after midnight before waking to find herself being assaulted in the defendant's bedroom. Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed the sentence today, having regard to the significant age disparity, the breach of trust inherent in the proprietor-guest relationship, and the victim's status as a vulnerable visitor unfamiliar with Ireland. The sentence was backdated to account for time already served in custody.