Emmet O’Connor fails to overturn rape conviction

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

Emmet O’Connor’s convictions for rape and witness intimidation were upheld by the Court of Appeal when it dismissed his appeal on 26 July 2023.

The court rejected his arguments about recent complaint evidence, late forensic testing of the complainant’s clothing and the jury directions on intimidation. The appeal court said the forensic results were admissible and that no prejudice arose from their admission.

O’Connor had been sentenced at the Central Criminal Court in April 2021 to 11 years in total: eight years for rape, followed consecutively by two years for organising prostitution and one year for witness intimidation.