Courts / Donegal / Report
Eight years for man who raped woman as she slept beside newborn baby
Summary
A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment following his conviction for rape at the Central Criminal Court. Shaun O'Donnell, originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom, was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault against a woman at a Donegal residence on 26 March 2021. The offence occurred while the victim slept beside her partner and newborn baby. O'Donnell, who had been staying with the couple, initially climbed into the bed undetected. Upon discovering his identity, the woman left the room. Mr Justice David Keane described the breach of trust as "fundamental" and noted the grave harm caused to the victim. The judge imposed the sentence without suspension, observing that O'Donnell had not accepted the verdicts or expressed remorse. A concurrent sentence of two years and eight months was imposed on the sexual assault charge. The sentences were backdated to February of the previous year when O'Donnell entered custody.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Eight years for man who raped woman as she slept beside newborn baby. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- March 26, 2021 Incident
- 2024-08-07 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Setting a headline sentence of nine years on the rape count, the judge noted that O'Donnell has not accepted the verdicts nor expressed remorse. Having considered O'Donnell's personal circumstances and the mitigating factors, Mr Justice Keane imposed a sentence of eight years on the rape count.
Places mentioned
Topics
Related court reports
- Court upholds former Defence Force member's conviction for raping fellow soldier
- Lawyers 'concerned' over wait for evidence 20 years on from Denis Donaldson murder
- Ex-garda seeks allowance for services to Irish-language communities
- Sliabh Liag murderers appeal convictions
- Six years for Algerian national who carried out 'violent predatory' sex attack
- 'Shame on you' - rapist refuses to accept jury verdict
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request