Donegal man jailed for raping teenage schoolgirl

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

The unnamed Donegal man was jailed for rape at the Central Criminal Court on 28 February 2020, receiving a seven-year sentence.

He was convicted of four counts after a trial over attacks on a teenage schoolgirl at two locations in Donegal in July 2016. The sentencing judge said he took advantage of the girl’s drunkenness and noted the serious effect of the attacks on her.

Justice Tara Burns reduced an indicated nine-year sentence to seven years, citing his late acknowledgement of guilt and remorse, previous good character and role as a father figure to three children. The judge also considered the victim’s impact statement.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.