Man jailed for rape of sleeping woman

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

A man who raped a sleeping woman was sentenced by Justice Tony Hunt on 7 February 2022 to six years and nine months in prison, with the final 15 months suspended. The man cannot be named to protect the victim’s anonymity.

He pleaded guilty to rape. The offence took place in a provincial town in Ireland on 26 May 2018. The proceedings were reported on 7 February 2022.

A detective garda told the court that the woman woke to find the man raping her while another man kissed her and told her it was okay. The other man has since died. Gardaí identified the accused and found his DNA on her clothes.

The detective agreed with defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that the accused had identified himself on CCTV and acknowledged being at the apartment. The detective also agreed that the man had told gardaí he was invited there and claimed he had consensual sex.

Justice Hunt said the woman being asleep, the offence occurring in front of another person and its effect on her aggravated the case. He took account of the guilty plea, written remorse, intention to rehabilitate and the man’s personal history.

The suspended portion carried strict conditions, including that the man follow all Probation Service directions for 12 months and make no contact with the victim. The judge warned that a breach without a proper explanation would mean a return to prison.