Man sentenced to seven years for raping his estranged wife

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

A Central Criminal Court jury convicted a 43-year-old man of raping his estranged wife at their Tipperary home. Mr Justice Paul Burns sentenced him to seven years, with the final year suspended for three years. The jury did not reach a verdict on a separate rape charge, and a nolle prosequi was entered on that charge.

The court heard that on May 15, 2022, after an argument, the woman woke to find the man raping her. She struck him twice with a rolling pin, and he stopped. The judge cited the breach of trust and the couple’s prior relationship as aggravating factors. In mitigation, he noted the man’s lack of prior convictions, work history, cooperation with gardaí and that he was a good father.