Courts / Ireland / Report
Victim of marital rape had to defend herself against 'false allegations'
Summary
Tracey Jessop, a victim of marital rape, described how she had to defend her reputation against false allegations made by her former husband, Joseph Jessop, during a sentencing hearing. Jessop was jailed for 10 years after being convicted of rape and assault. The court heard that Jessop had a history of violence, including punching and headbutting his wife, and raping her on multiple occasions. Jessop initially claimed that someone else had carried out the assault and later denied the charges, claiming consensual sex. Jessop made false allegations to Tusla and the gardaí, which caused Ms Jessop to live in fear of not being believed. In her victim impact statement, Ms Jessop described the emotional toll of the attacks and the stress of defending herself against false allegations. The judge noted that Jessop used demeaning language and belittled Ms Jessop throughout the trial. He sentenced Jessop to 10 years, reducing the headline sentence of 11 and a half years due to mitigating factors.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Victim of marital rape had to defend herself against 'false allegations'. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- February 2, 2021 Incident
- March 29, 2021 Incident
- November 2020 Incident
- February 2021 Incident
- 2026-07-24 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; Tracey Jessop made her comments as part of her victim impact statement in the sentence hearing of her former husband, Joseph Jessop, who was jailed for 10 years today.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request