Man jailed for rape after birthday party at accommodation centre

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

A 39-year-old man was sentenced on 12 February 2024 to seven years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions, for raping a friend after a birthday party. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon backdated the sentence to 10 June 2022, when he went into custody.

He pleaded guilty to one count of rape on the night of 6 and 7 June 2022. He cannot be identified to protect the victim’s anonymity. The proceedings were reported on 12 February 2024.

The victim, then aged 26, had arrived in Ireland seeking international protection and was staying at an accommodation centre in the Leinster region, where the man also lived. She became intoxicated at a birthday party for a mutual acquaintance and woke in a different bedroom in bed with him, where she noticed semen and other evidence of sexual activity.

Witnesses said friends had put her to bed. The man told them he was her friend and wanted to look after her. He was seen in the same bed as her the next morning and admitted having sex with her and that she had not consented. After his arrest, he maintained in interview that there had been consensual sexual contact.

The judge said he had taken advantage of the victim while she was vulnerable and sleeping, and noted a breach of trust in their friendship. She set a headline sentence of nine years and treated his guilty plea as significant mitigation. The judge said a probation report stated that he did not accept responsibility, but he had made a full apology in court and accepted that the victim could not give consent. She noted that he had no previous convictions and was assessed as being at low risk of reoffending.