Courts / Dublin / Report

Rape victim asked if she'd fabricated allegations to explain why she wasn't a virgin

Date
2020-07-08

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A 41‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting his daughter between 2009 and 2015. The victim, who was ten when the abuse began and married in 2015, testified that she was telling the truth and denied that she had fabricated the allegations to explain why she was not a virgin to her husband. The court heard that the abuse ended after the victim's marriage. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, described the offence as a serious breach of trust, suspended the final year of the sentence on the condition of obeying probation, and ordered the defendant to have no contact with the victim. The victim's impact statement described her childhood as stolen and her father as the one who hurt her. The defendant denied the allegations and claimed a blameless life. The unnamed 41-year-old was convicted.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Rape victim asked if she'd fabricated allegations to explain why she wasn't a virgin. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

2009 and 2015 Incident
2020-07-08 Publication

Why: During the two-week trial, the man's lawyers put it to the victim that she fabricated the allegations in order to explain to her husband why she wasn't a virgin after their marriage. CNI source report