Courts / Dublin / Report

Man guilty of raping sleeping woman at house party

Summary

A 27‑year‑old Laois man was found guilty of raping a sleeping woman at a Kildare house party on 21 June 2015. The trial, held at the Central Criminal Court, heard that the woman had gone to bed in her sister's house, fell asleep in her clothes, and woke to find the accused in her bed having sex with her. She screamed and fled the room. The defence claimed the man had asked to lie beside her, that she had consented, and that they had consensual sex for a few minutes before she withdrew. The prosecution argued a sleeping person cannot give consent and presented evidence that the woman's account was consistent. The jury returned a guilty verdict; the judge remanded the man on continuing bail and adjourned sentencing to 3 February. The case remains at the trial stage. The unnamed 27-year-old pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man guilty of raping sleeping woman at house party. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• June 21, 2015 Adjournment
• February 3 Adjournment
• June 21 Incident
• 2019-11-27 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report