Convicted rapist loses State pension court challenge

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A convicted rapist lost his High Court challenge over pension disqualification, with the judgment reported on 29 April 2016. The man, serving a 12-year sentence for raping and sexually assaulting his daughter, argued that stopping his State pension breached the Constitution and European human rights law. Mr Justice Donald Binchy dismissed the action, ruling that the pension was a statutory entitlement subject to legislative conditions and that payment could be suspended while he was imprisoned. The judge also rejected his claims of punitive treatment and unequal treatment. The man is expected to receive pension payments after his release.