Courts / Laois / Report
20 years for "vicious and shocking" rape of two women
Summary
Gheorghe Goidan, a 46‑year‑old Romanian, was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for raping two Czech women who were working as prostitutes in Ireland. The judge described the offences as "vicious and shocking" and noted that Goidan had targeted the women because he believed they would not be believed. He met each woman separately in hotel rooms, threatened them with a knife, and repeatedly assaulted and raped them. Goidan had pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault at a hotel in Portlaoise on 7 September 2017 and had also denied rape, oral rape and anal rape of a second woman at the Maldron Hotel in Galway on the same day. A jury found him guilty on all counts. The judge imposed ten‑year terms for each sexual offence and seven‑year terms for each robbery, with the sexual terms to run consecutively, resulting in a 20‑year jail term.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 20 years for "vicious and shocking" rape of two women. Charges or matters: rape and sexual assault at a hotel in Portlaoise on September 7, 2017; counts of robbing the two women. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 7, 2017 Incident
- 2019-07-31 Publication
Why: Ms Justice Tara Burns said that Gheorghe Goidan (46), a Romanian national, had preyed upon the vulnerability of the two women and had clearly targeted them because he thought they would not be believed. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: rape and sexual assault at a hotel in Portlaoise on September 7, 2017; counts of robbing the two women (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: She described the offences as being "at the high end of the serious range" and said that consecutive terms were appropriate before she sentenced Goidan to ten years for each of the sexual offences against the women and seven years for each of the robberies.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime
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