Brian Byrne jailed for rape at Kildare house party

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Brian Byrne was jailed for rape at the Central Criminal Court, reported on 31 July 2020. The offence occurred during a house party in Kildare, where the woman was asleep. Byrne had denied the charge, but a jury found him guilty after a week-long trial. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

The court heard that Byrne accepted sexual intercourse had taken place but maintained the woman was awake and had consented. Mr Justice Michael White considered Byrne’s previous good character, employment record, age at the time and references before imposing sentence. The judge said the offence was aggravated by its impact on the victim and the predatory nature of the attack.