Westmeath man gets 10-year sentence for rape of teenager

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

A man convicted of rape was sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to 10 years, with the final year suspended for three years under probation supervision. He was 29 and the girl was 15½ at the time of the offence in Co Westmeath on January 20, 2019; he does not accept the jury’s verdict.

The court heard that the man and the girl knew each other and were left alone after she and a friend had been invited for a drink. He tried to kiss and touch her, but she said no and pushed him away. He then pushed her over a couch and raped her, the court heard. The girl shouted at him to stop, and the man denied having sexual contact with her.

The judge said the man took advantage of being alone with the girl and noted that she had suffered physical injuries.

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