Courts

Assailant given eight years for rape and coercive control of wife

Victim impact statement read to court notes abuse as worst violation a husband can commit against his wife

Kathleen Correia waived her legal right to anonymity to allow her husband to be named. Photograph: Collins
Kathleen Correia waived her legal right to anonymity to allow her husband to be named. Photograph: Collins
Niamh O'Donoghue
Mon Oct 21 2024 - 20:04

A 48-year-old Portuguese man has been jailed for eight years at the Central Criminal Court for the rape and coercive control of his wife.

Sergio Correia, of Front Street, Ardara, Co Donegal, was convicted by a jury of two counts of anal rape and one count of coercive control of Kathleen Correia in 2019.

Kathleen Correia (41) waived her legal right to anonymity to allow him to be named. Reading a victim impact statement to the court, she said the abuse was the worst violation a husband can commit against his wife.

“The worst violation a husband can commit against his wife is to rape, abuse, objectify and degrade her. It’s a breach of trust and respect that has had severe implications and long-lasting emotional scars for me. I have not been able to engage in an intimate relationship and I don’t know if I ever will without feeling afraid, traumatised and fragile,” said Ms Correia.

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Det Garda Paula Griffin told Mr Garnet Orange SC, prosecuting, that the couple married in 2012. In 2018. a decision was made to return to Portugal to see how it went but they had difficulties there and returned to Ireland. The court heard that it was in the nine-month period after returning that the offending took place.

The court heard she lived in constant fear and had a mental breakdown. She lost 20kg and was sent to adult mental health services.

He was arrested in February 2022 and interviewed at length, but when specific allegations were put to him he agreed he could not say when Kathleen consented to anal sex. This persisted in each of the allegations that were put to him, the court was told.

Det Gda Griffin told the court he had no previous convictions. Mr Ciarán O’Loughlin SC, defending, said drugs and alcohol had affected Correia’s behaviour. In a letter to the court Correia said: “I wish I could go back in time. I understand she may never forgive me. I take responsibility ... I must also apologise to my three beautiful children.”

Ms Justice Melanie Greally said that Correia showed “very little insight” in his psychology report which showed a “high level of self-pity”.

The judge said mitigating factors included the absence of previous convictions, that there was some evidence of remorse and a loss of his relationship with his children.

She imposed a 9½-year sentence concerning the two counts of rape and suspended the final 18 months of it.

She also imposed a 2½-year sentence to run concurrently, on the count of coercive control, backdating it for time spent in custody.

The judge ordered he undergo the post-release supervision of the probation services and be assessed for domestic abuse and sexual abuse programmes. She also ordered that he attend an addiction counsellor as well as Alcoholics Anonymous and ordered that he have no contact with the victim without her consent.