Courts / Donegal / Report
Ghanian men who raped 'blind drunk' student are jailed for nine years
Summary
Two men were jailed for nine years at the Central Criminal Court following their conviction for rape. Boakye Osei, aged 30, of Tooban, Burnfoot, and Kelvin Opoku, aged 33, of Letterkenny, County Donegal, had pleaded not guilty but were found guilty by unanimous jury verdict in late 2019 after a five-week trial. The offence occurred in February 2015 when the men invited a woman back to an apartment after encountering her while she was walking home from a nightclub. The court heard the woman was severely intoxicated and incapacitated. Evidence including video footage and forensic analysis demonstrated that both men engaged in sexual activity with her without consent. Justice Alex Owens noted that whilst he accepted the men had not predetermined the assault, they were fully aware of her incapacity and exploited it. He recommended Opoku's deportation upon sentence completion and ordered both men undergo four years post-release supervision. Opoku's defence argued his client held an incorrect understanding of consent, whilst Osei's defence emphasised his family circumstances.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Ghanian men who raped 'blind drunk' student are jailed for nine years. Charges or matters: the rape of the woman in a town in the county in February 2015. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- February 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020-03-23 Publication
Why: The woman said she was told she had to attend a hospital to be put on anti-HIV medicine because of the ethnicity of the accused. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: the rape of the woman in a town in the county in February 2015 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Mr Justice Owens sentenced both men to nine years imprisonment.
Defendant
Charges: the rape of the woman in a town in the county in February 2015 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Mr Justice Owens sentenced both men to nine years imprisonment. He recommended that Opoku be deported following the completion of his sentence.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
Related court reports
- Ex-garda seeks allowance for services to Irish-language communities
- Six years for Algerian national who carried out 'violent predatory' sex attack
- Native Irish speaker found not guilty of murdering grandfather by reason of insanity
- Murder accused told doctors that release of abuser Michael Ferry caused him to 'spiral'
- Native Irish speaker described how he 'smacked' grandfather's head with granite stone, cement block
- Man pleads not guilty to murdering grandfather in Donegal Gaeltacht
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request