Courts / Wicklow / Report
Seven years for sex offender who repeatedly recorded himself assaulting sleeping woman
Summary
Philip Dignam, a 41-year-old man from Wicklow, was jailed for seven years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman and recording the incidents. He had previously received a suspended sentence for possessing child abuse material. The victim, Kathleen Morris, discovered the videos in 2022 when her former partner used her phone. Dignam claimed the woman had consented to the acts as part of a role-play, but the court found that the assaults occurred while she was asleep or unconscious. Justice Burns noted that Dignam had committed the offenses for his own sexual gratification and had breached the trust of his partner. The judge imposed a sentence of eight years, with the final year suspended on strict conditions. The victim waived her anonymity to encourage others to come forward, and Dignam expressed remorse for his actions.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Seven years for sex offender who repeatedly recorded himself assaulting sleeping woman. Charges or matters: two counts of sexually assaulting Kathleen Morris on dates unknown in 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2026-05-11 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: two counts of sexually assaulting Kathleen Morris on dates unknown in 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He took into account that Dignam had a conviction for the possession of child abuse sexual material and had been given a one-year suspended sentence for that offence. Mr Justice Burns imposed a sentence of eight years in prison.; He said that the trial dates were adjourned on a number of occasions as a result of both the prosecution and the defence variously "trying to dig more into where the videos came from", as gardai never had possession of the original phone.
Places mentioned
- The Central Criminal Court
Topics
Related court reports
- Thief caught with lump hammer, screwdriver and gloves
- Teen awarded €90k for obstacle course injury
- Criminal who used weapons in city centre robberies jailed for six years
- Burglar fails in appeal after judge notes he's 'been around the block'
- Fake barrister who scammed 1,200 people with bogus firms gets six years
- Bench warrant issued for fake barrister fraudster as partner gets suspended sentence
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request