Three men appeal convictions and sentences in Dublin rape case

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

Anthony Hickey, Fabio Vicente and Matin Zolfaghari were convicted at the Central Criminal Court of offences against a woman they met in a Dublin nightclub. The offences took place in a car and a house on 31 August 2019. They had pleaded not guilty to the charges. The proceedings were reported on 5 February 2025.

Hickey was convicted of raping the woman in his then home and of oral rape and sexual assault in the car. Vicente was convicted of raping her in the car and in the house. Zolfaghari was convicted of oral rape in the house and acquitted of sexual assault in the car.

On 27 March 2025, Mr Justice Paul Burns sentenced Hickey and Vicente each to 16 years, with the final year suspended. Zolfaghari received 14 years, with the final year suspended. The judge directed all three to undergo Probation Service supervision for three years after release and backdated their sentences to the date they entered custody.

The judge said the men acted together and took advantage of the woman's vulnerable state. The court had heard that the three men did not accept the jury's verdicts.