Man jailed for six years for raping wife

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

A 43-year-old man has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to anal rape of his wife at their family home in Co Waterford in December 2024. He cannot be identified to protect her identity. The Central Criminal Court heard he admitted his guilt during the trial while his wife was giving evidence, after previously claiming the incident was consensual.

The court heard the woman had agreed to intercourse but had refused anal sex. After the assault, she found she was bleeding and attended a garda station. A forensic examination found an anal-area laceration consistent with the allegations.

Mr Justice Paul Burns described the offence as a drunken assault in which the man took advantage of his wife’s consent to sex despite her refusal of anal sex. He set a headline sentence of eight and a half years, then imposed seven years with the final year suspended for three years, subject to Probation Service supervision. The sentence was backdated to when the man entered custody.