Courts / Dublin / Report

Quashed sex assault conviction is a 'miscarriage of justice', man claims

Date
2026-04-14
Stage
Appeal
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

A man has applied to have his case declared a miscarriage of justice after the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction for the sexual assault of an asylum seeker he had met through an Islamic centre. The court overturned the now 59-year-old's conviction in 2023 after the man's legal team successfully argued it was unsafe. His defence relied on internet searches relating to sexual matters that were extracted using new software from the complainant's phone after the trial had concluded. They said that if the jury had known of those searches, it would have undermined her claim that she was a virgin and knew nothing of sexual matters prior to meeting the man. The man had pleaded not guilty to a sexual assault alleged to have occurred on December 1st, 2017, in Co Dublin. He was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury in April 2021 and sentenced to five and a half years in prison.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Quashed sex assault conviction is a 'miscarriage of justice', man claims. Charges or matters: a sexual assault alleged to have occurred on December 1st, 2017, in Co Dublin. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

Case subjects

Unnamed 59-year-old

Defendant

Charges: a sexual assault alleged to have occurred on December 1st, 2017, in Co Dublin (Proven)

Plea: Not guilty

Finding: Convicted

Outcome: Convicted; He was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury in April 2021 and sentenced to five and a half years in prison by Mr Justice Alexander Owens.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Court of Appeal
  • Central Criminal Court
Incident
Journey Or Route

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

Related court reports

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