Waterford man jailed for six years for raping neighbour after surgery

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

A 63-year-old Waterford man was jailed for six years for raping his next-door neighbour after she returned home from surgery. The Central Criminal Court heard he pleaded guilty to raping her at her home in April 1991. He cannot be identified to protect the woman’s identity.

The judge imposed a seven-year sentence and suspended the final 12 months. He also placed the man under Probation Services supervision, directed him to comply with their requirements and ordered that he have no direct or indirect contact with the woman. The sentence was backdated to his entry into custody in December 2024.

The court heard the man entered her home by claiming he had lost his keys, then raped her while she was recovering from surgery. The judge described the attack as planned and cited the woman’s vulnerability, the use of violence and the breach of safety in her home as aggravating factors. A probation report assessed the man as at high risk of reoffending.