Courts / Galway / Report

Court quashes man's conviction for repeated rape of woman he met on dating site

Date
2023-07-28

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Galway

County
Galway

Summary

In a Court of Appeal decision on 28 July 2023, the conviction of Bajo Ziflai, a 23‑year‑old Albanian national, was quashed. Ziflai had been found guilty by a jury of four counts of raping a 23‑year‑old woman he met on a dating website, where he used a false name, and one count of sexual assault. The original trial, held in Central Court in July 2022, had sentenced him to nine years' imprisonment. Ziflai had pleaded not guilty to all five charges and maintained that the woman's allegations were fabricated. The appeal argued that the trial judge erred in how the jury was instructed on the significance of lies told by the accused. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, held that the jury may not have fully understood the role of lies, found the verdict unsafe, and directed a retrial. No new sentence was imposed.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court quashes man's conviction for repeated rape of woman he met on dating site. Charges or matters: all five of the charges. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty

When:

July 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
2023-07-28 Publication

Why: He did not accept the verdicts of the jury and continued to maintain the woman made up the allegations because she was "attention seeking". CNI source report