Man who regularly beat, raped and sexually abused his wife sentenced to 12 years in prison

A man who regularly beat his wife, sexually abused her and cut her vagina with a knife while she was heavily pregnant has been sentenced to twelve years in prison.

The 46-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim, was found guilty by a jury of one count of rape, three counts of aggravated sexual assault, three counts of assault and one count of coercive control following a two-week trial at the Central Criminal Court last November.

The abuse occurred between July 2020 and May 2022 at locations in Cavan.

When handing down the verdict on Tuesday, Judge Kerida Naidoo said the man had used “sadistic and degrading violence” against his wife and that the crimes had represented a “significant breach of trust” because they had been committed by her husband in their parents’ home.

He imposed a world-famous sentence of 14 years. Judge Naidoo noted that the man had pleaded not guilty and had shown no remorse or compassion for the victim. The court heard that the man did not accept the jury’s verdict.

He suspended the last two years of his sentence on strict conditions, taking into account the fact that the man had no previous convictions and had not been in the Garda’s sights since then.

In her victim impact statement read out in court earlier, the woman said her “dreams turned into a nightmare during her marriage to the man” and her fear of him kept her “trapped in this vicious cycle of physical and psychological abuse”.

She said she believed he came closer and closer to killing her during their time together and that the ordeal left her with anxiety attacks and depression.

She described how scared she was that Tusla would take her children away from her after the abuse and said she was grateful for the support she received instead.

She said they are on the road to recovery and while she is afraid of what will happen when the man is released from prison, “I know that I and my children will be OK.”

A local Garda Sergeant told the court that the man and woman, who are originally from Brazil and have four children together, met online when he was living here and she was in Brazil. He proposed to her and they met for the first time just a week before their wedding.

The woman spoke little English and was unable to work in Ireland due to her immigration status.

He became pregnant very quickly, which the court heard came as a surprise to her as the man had led her to believe they could not conceive naturally.

The court heard that the marriage was initially largely happy, although the wife had no friends due to her lack of English and lack of opportunities to socialise. However, the court heard that the marriage became increasingly violent, with the husband hitting, pushing, shoving and hitting her with phone charging cables.

He drank excessively and had a tendency to smash furniture.

During the first serious sexual assault, the man tied up the woman and cut her clitoris with a knife. She thought he was going to kill her and was very scared, the court said. The next day he put a piercing in the hole, but it fell out, the court said.

During the Covid lockdowns in 2020, the man was unemployed and the violence increased with his drinking. He prevented her from having contact with her family in Brazil and they were not allowed to come and stay, the court said.

When she was heavily pregnant with their third child, he punched her in the face, leaving her with a black eye. He again cut her vagina with a knife and she was very scared of what might happen to the baby, but she remained calm because she feared he might do something worse, the court heard.

On another occasion, he repeatedly beat her with a phone charger as “punishment” and then raped her. She had just given birth to a child.

In the last incident of abuse in May 2022, the man had been drinking since the morning when he took the woman upstairs to her bedroom. All four children were at home at the time.

He tied her up, produced a pole and said he was going to “destroy” her vagina. He then hit her on the head with the pole and began to sexually assault her, grabbing her by the neck. She screamed and begged him to let her go and eventually fled to a neighbour’s house where the Gardaí were called.

The woman was taken to the hospital where evidence of the assault and previous serious sexual assaults was documented.

When questioned by police, the man denied the allegations and claimed that the woman had gotten her own vaginal piercings.

The Garda agreed with John Fitzgerald SC’s defence that the man had no other convictions and had not come to the Garda’s attention.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client did not accept the jury’s verdict.

The lawyer said his client came to Ireland aged 23 and worked in a variety of jobs. He said the offences arose in the context of a highly dysfunctional and abusive relationship.

He said that, apart from the criminal offenses, the defendant had led a functional, prosocial life in all respects.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client had not had any social contact since these incidents and the lack of visits and isolation would impact the level of the sentence.

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.