Man who raped roommate in ‘horrific ordeal’ sentenced to seven years in prison

A man who sexually assaulted and raped his roommate in a horrific ordeal lasting several days has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

The woman, who had only recently arrived in Ireland, spoke no English and knew no one else in the country, remained in her room for two days after the first sexual assault until she was raped.

As the Central Criminal Court learned, she then ran out of the apartment and asked a passerby for help by typing “I was raped” into the Google translator on her phone.

The 65-year-old man, whose name cannot be disclosed to protect the woman’s identity, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the woman on October 19, 2022, and rape on October 21, 2022. He has no previous convictions.

In handing down the verdict on Friday, Judge Paul McDermott said it had been an extremely frightening ordeal for the woman, which had lasted for several days.

He said the first attack had obviously left her terrified and virtually a prisoner in her own room until she had the horrific experience of being raped two days later.

He noted that the events still have a profound impact on them physically and mentally, affecting their sense of security and their outlook on life.

The judge imposed a maximum sentence of eight years and six months for the rape charge.

Judge McDermott noted that the defendant had been a hard-working man since arriving in Ireland in 2020 and had not come to the attention of the Garda.

He pointed out that he also had language difficulties, was isolated from his family in prison and had to serve his sentence as a foreigner in Ireland.

He also referred to the man’s admission of guilt and his age as mitigating circumstances. He said he also took into account that it was a serious breach of trust, as the man knew that the woman had language difficulties and had no family in the country.

Judge McDermott imposed concurrent sentences totaling seven years, which he dated back to October 2022, when the man was taken into custody. He also ordered three years’ probation upon release.

Detective Garda Aisling McDermott, of the Divisional Protective Service Unit in Kevin Street, Dublin, told Elis Brennan SC, prosecuting, that the victim had arrived in Ireland approximately two weeks before the events. She had moved into a small apartment in which the accused was the second tenant.

The court heard that the defendant had helped her find a job and given her a loan.

On October 19, 2022, the woman, then 25 years old, was in the kitchen when the defendant, then 63 years old, began touching her with “please, please”, pushed her against a wall and pulled down her pants. He wanted her to touch him and put her hand on his penis.

The young woman said that she was disgusted by this and went to her room, where she stayed for two days without daring to come out.

Two days later, he knocked on her door and tried to enter, so she left the room and went into the kitchen.

He sat there on a chair, touching and rubbing her. When she tried to leave, he grabbed her and pushed her into his bedroom, where he pushed her face down on the bed.

She resisted and screamed as he tried to remove her clothes before raping her. She managed to push him away and run back to her room. He tried to follow her but went back to his own room.

She took the opportunity to run out of the apartment and asked a girl outside for help. She wrote in Google Translate “I was raped”. The Gardaí were alerted and came to the scene.

Gardaí spoke to the accused and he admitted having sex but said it was consensual. He said she started crying and he stopped but later said he did not insert his penis into her vagina or ejaculate.

Statement from the victims

During an examination in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, swabs were taken from the injured woman’s vagina and sperm containing the defendant’s DNA was found.

In her victim impact statement, the woman told the court that she was physically unwell three months after the attack. She said she was homeless and remained “on the streets.”

She said she came to Ireland with many dreams but they were all shattered. She said it was a “very hard blow” to be raped in an unknown country where she was alone and did not speak the language. She said her life and her outlook had changed and she was deeply affected.

Defence lawyer Gerardine Small SC said her client wished to apologise for his outrageous behaviour.

She asked the court to take into account his guilty plea, his lack of previous convictions and his solid professional record.

She said he had shown remorse and explained that the time in detention would be more difficult for him as an isolated foreigner. He had used his time in detention productively.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the 24-hour national rape crisis helpline on 1800-77 8888, access the text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis He.lp.