An Irishman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault after getting into bed with his sleeping housemate in New York.
Luke Hanahoe, son of former footballer Tony Hanahoe, had been working as a barman and was initially accused of rape last year after forcing himself on the woman inside their Brooklyn apartment.
He claimed to be so drunk he had no recollection of the incident, but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge as part of a plea bargain, a common tactic in American court cases.
The complaint, obtained by The Irish Times, said his female housemate was in bed asleep at the time of the attack on July 10th last year. She woke up at about 4am to find somebody raping her. She repeatedly asked him to stop, but he held her head down and committed a further sex act on her.
He has been held at the notorious Rikers Island jail, home to 15,000 prisoners, since his arrest.
Hanahoe, (28), was described to the court as the son of a “famous Irish football star” and part of a “well-known, well-established family in Dublin”.
Papers submitted last year in a request for bail said Hanahoe suffered frequent blackouts after drinking, had suffered six concussions playing rugby and had no recollection of the incident.
"He had been drinking, excessively, prior to arriving at the apartment. (Hanahoe) suffers from blackouts after excessive drinking and does not remember anything that occurred when he got home," Louis Rosenthal, his lawyer, wrote in court papers.
He also described Hanahoe as the “lost sheep” of the family and said his father, a solicitor, disapproved of his lifestyle.
Hanahoe grew up in Ballsbridge and studied at St Michael’s College. He later played second row for Old Belvedere rugby club.
He had overstayed his visa at the time of his arrest and faced up to 25 years in jail if convicted of rape. However, he received a lesser sentence after admitting a criminal sexual act. He was also ordered not to contact his victim.
He is expected to serve his sentence on Rikers Island, home to most of New York’s inmates.
His father, now 69, was a famous figure in the Dublin-Kerry rivalry during the 1970s, winning three All-Ireland titles with Dublin – two of them as captain. He also won an All-Ireland club final with St Vincent’s.
A spokeswoman for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office confirmed that Hanahoe was sentenced on a lesser charge after a deal.
“The defendant was pleaded guilty to third degree criminal sexual act and was sentenced on Monday to 1.5 years in prison,” she said.