Richard O’Mara’s rape sentence appeal heard at Court of Appeal

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

Richard O’Mara’s appeal against his sentence for raping a teenage schoolgirl was heard at the Court of Appeal on 25 January 2022; the hearing was reported that day.

O’Mara had been convicted of two rape counts by a Central Criminal Court jury after a trial in April 2019. He received a 14-year sentence, with the final two years suspended, and appealed the length of the sentence after an earlier failed challenge to his conviction.

At the appeal hearing, his counsel argued that the custodial term was very severe and that O’Mara’s previous good character and lack of previous convictions warranted a greater reduction. The Director of Public Prosecutions argued there had been no sentencing error and that a sentence exceeding 10 years was justified.

The Court of Appeal reserved judgment.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.