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Tinder sex attacker has sentence halved on appeal

Summary

Paul Flaherty, 32, was convicted by a jury at the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting a woman he met on Tinder at his home in Tallaght on 31 August 2015. The victim had made it clear she was not interested in sexual contact, yet Flaherty forced her to remove her trousers, threatened to kill her and allegedly strangled and touched her genitals. He denied the charges, claiming the encounter was consensual role‑play and that the victim had initiated contact. The trial judge, Mr Justice Michael White, sentenced him to five years imprisonment, describing his behaviour as "disgusting". The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to two‑and‑a‑half years imprisonment, noting the offence could not be described as a minor sexual assault. No prior sexual convictions were recorded for Flaherty. The appeal decision was made by Mr Justice George Birmingham, joined by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Tinder sex attacker has sentence halved on appeal. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• August 31, 2015 Incident
• 2019-10-24 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report