Courts / Dublin / Report

Bolivian man 'brazenly' raped woman on public street

Summary

In a Dublin 2 street on 26 September 2017, 32‑year‑old Bolivian national Jose Lacerna Pena orally raped a woman while she was walking to meet friends after a nightclub. CCTV showed Pena approaching, linking his arm around her, pushing her head down and inserting his penis into her mouth twice. Two men intervened, the victim fled, and Pena was arrested. He pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court, but a jury convicted him on 13 December 2019. Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced him to six years' imprisonment, noting the offence was "brazenly in the most public and humiliating manner" and that Pena had no prior convictions. The victim's impact statement described lasting fear, sadness, anger and loneliness, and she thanked the men who intervened. Pena's defence argued the act was out of character and requested leniency. The judge acknowledged the difficulty of serving the sentence far from his family and considered deportation upon release.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Bolivian man 'brazenly' raped woman on public street. Charges or matters: orally raping a woman at Wicklow Street, Dublin 2, on September 26, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• September 26, 2017 Adjournment
• December 13, 2019 Adjournment
• 2020-04-03 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

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Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report