Courts / Dublin / Report

Rapist who posed as taxi driver fails in bid to reduce his sentence

Date
2023-04-27

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Ioan Lingurar, 36, who posed as a taxi driver, was convicted of raping two women in Dublin three years apart and of false imprisonment. The first victim was attacked in February 2016 after she had hailed what she thought was a taxi; she escaped after a struggle and later reported the assault. The second victim was assaulted in February 2019 after she had entered a vehicle she believed to be a taxi; she fought back and escaped. DNA evidence linked both attacks to Lingurar, who had previously been convicted of a sexual assault in France. At the Central Criminal Court, the judge imposed a total of seventeen‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, with the 2016 and 2019 sentences running consecutively. Lingurar appealed, arguing the headline sentences were too high, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding no error in the sentencing. Ioan Lingurar pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Rapist who posed as taxi driver fails in bid to reduce his sentence. Charges or matters: both charges; the sexual assault and false imprisonment of the second woman at locations within County Dublin on February 24, 2019. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

February 2016 Incident
December 2021 Incident
October 2021 Incident
February 14, 2016 Incident
February 24, 2019 Incident
2016 and 2019 Incident
2023-04-27 Publication

Why: "We must dismiss the appeal because no error occurred," said Mr Justice Birmingham. CNI source report

Case subjects

Ioan Lingurar

Appellant

Charges: both charges; the sexual assault and false imprisonment of the second woman at locations within County Dublin on February 24, 2019 (Proven)

Plea: Not guilty

Finding: Convicted

Outcome: Convicted; She sentenced Lingurar to 10 years for the rape of the first woman in 2016 and to five years for her false imprisonment. Ms Justice Burns jailed Lingurar for seven-and-a-half years for the 2019 false imprisonment and for six-and-a-half years for the sexual assault.