A man who attempted to pervert the course of justice after raping his partner in Co Monaghan has been jailed for 10 years.
The man (54), who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, was found guilty by a jury of raping and sexually assaulting the woman on March 13th, 2024. He was also convicted of one count of assault causing harm on the same date.
The man pleaded guilty on a separate bill on June 18th this year to attempting to pervert the course of justice after he tried to halt the prosecution by calling the woman’s friend from a prison landline to get the victim to withdraw her complaint.
The Central Criminal Court heard he has 13 previous convictions including road-traffic offences and public-order breaches.
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The court was told he had a problem with alcohol and, when questioned by gardaí, denied raping the victim and put the blame on her, saying she drank too much.
Sentencing the man on Tuesday, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said that among the aggravating factors was his attitude when questioned.
“It is noted that the evidence of difficulty with alcohol is all at the door of [the accused] as confirmed by his previous convictions,” she said.
The shifting of blame, his untrue suggestion the two were planning to marry and breaching of court orders showed an unwillingness to take personal responsibility for his actions. They were are all aggravating features in the case, the judge said.
Garda Edward Hammond told the court the victim advertised for a lodger who would help with the rent.
The accused moved in and they formed an intimate relationship.
The victim said when she first met the man in July 2023 he was polite and courteous. He then changed and she suggested ending the relationship as alcohol appeared more frequently.
The accused was intoxicated and in March 2024 the victim asked him to leave. He refused and when she said she was leaving, he assaulted her and put his hand around her neck in a choking mechanism.
He brought her to the ground, kicked her in the legs and dragged her to a bedroom where he vaginally raped her. The court heard he also digitally penetrated her and he was shouting at and threatening her.
The court heard the victim does not have good English but late in the evening of March 18th she attended the Garda station.
The accused was arrested and he denied raping or sexually assaulting the victim. He told gardaí he and the woman were planning to get married and were also planning on holidaying together. He said she started drinking and this caused changes in her.
The victim did not want to attend court and made a victim-impact statement which Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, read.
She said he “changed my life for the worse. I now live in constant fear for the sake of my life and my family.”
