Thursday 29 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 2153Rape · Co. Dublin · 1 Jan 2019

Christopher O'Grady convicted of raping 19-year-old Spanish student during Dublin New Year's Eve 2019

A 33-year-old Louth man was convicted of raping a 19-year-old Spanish woman in Dublin city centre in the early hours of 1 January 2019. Christopher O'Grady, formerly of Dundalk, Co Louth, who was homeless at the time, pleaded not guilty to the single count of rape. The woman had been in Dublin for the New Year's Eve fireworks and was separated from her friend when she met the accused, who walked her to a dark area where the State's case is that she was raped while unable to consent due to alcohol. A jury at the Central Criminal Court returned a guilty verdict on 6 March 2025, and Ms Justice Caroline Biggs adjourned the case to 19 June for a sentence hearing.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In court24 Feb
    2 reports
  5. Convicted6 Mar
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Christopher O'Grady, 33, formerly of Muirhevnamor, Dundalk, Co Louth, was convicted of one count of raping a 19-year-old Spanish woman.
  • The woman had been in Dublin for the New Year's Eve fireworks and was separated from her friend when she met the accused outside a shop.
  • The State's case was that the woman did not consent and was unable to consent due to the effects of alcohol.
  • After the alleged rape the woman walked through town with the accused before a couple helped her find accommodation, and she later had anal sex with a second man at a B&B.
Where
The alleged rape occurred on a street in the Dublin Castle area, in a dark car park area.
When
The offence took place in the early hours of 1 January 2019.
Other details
No charge was brought against the second man at the B&B.
Investigation
O'Grady was homeless at the time of the offence and is in custody.
Charges
O'Grady pleaded not guilty to the single count of rape.
In court
  • The trial was heard before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury at the Central Criminal Court, which included 40 minutes of CCTV footage of the B&B encounter.
  • The jury returned a guilty verdict on 6 March 2025 after starting deliberations on 5 March.
Sentence
Ms Justice Biggs adjourned the case to 19 June 2025 for a sentence hearing.
34 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe accused is a 33-year-old Louth man who pleaded not guilty to one count of rape. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman had been in town to watch the fireworks and got separated from her friend. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe accused walked the woman through town to a dark area where the alleged rape occurred. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe complainant was a 19-year-old Spanish tourist in Dublin for the New Year's Eve fireworks display. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe State's case is that the woman did not consent and was unable to consent due to the effects of alcohol or another drug. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatAfter the alleged rape, the woman walked through town with the accused man before coming into the company of a couple who tried to help her find accommodation. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman asked the second man to help her find a hotel and they went to a B&B. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman said the second man was very persistent and kept kissing her. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThey had anal sex, it was very sore, and she persuaded him to stop. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman said when she woke up the next day she realised she had two rapes and there might be a medical issue. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman then went to hospital. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman said one rape can be very different from another rape. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman said the sexual interaction with the second man was rape because it was under coercion. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatO'Grady was homeless at the time of the offence and is in custody. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatO'Grady walked the woman through town to a car park area where the alleged rape occurred. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe woman said she felt like a doll and had no strength in her body during the incident. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe woman ended up in a B&B with a second man and they had anal sex before she went home to her accommodation. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe prosecution said the jury had to consider whether the woman was capable of consenting between 1.40am and 2.17am. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe alleged rape occurred in Dublin city centre in the early hours of 1 January 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe alleged rape occurred on 1 January 2019. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeNo charge has been brought against the second man at the B&B. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe trial is continuing before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury at the Central Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe jury was shown video footage of the complainant and a second man having a sexual encounter in a B&B hallway. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtMs Justice Caroline Biggs told jurors the video may be intrusive and distressing. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe CCTV footage of the B&B hallway encounter was about 40 minutes long. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtNo charge has been brought against the second man. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe complainant was not present in court while the footage was played. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe judge said the footage related to a separate incident relatively proximate to the allegations against the accused. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtDefence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC cross-examined the complainant on the footage. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe trial was set to run into the following week. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe Central Criminal Court jury returned the guilty verdict on Thursday after starting deliberations Wednesday afternoon. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtMs Justice Caroline Biggs adjourned the case to 19 June for sentence hearing. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtCCTV footage of the B&B encounter was played in court. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherNo charge has been brought against the second man who gave evidence in the trial. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 6 Mar2025
    Convictedirishtimes.com, first report
    Man convicted of raping Spanish student (19) during Dublin New Year celebrations

    Jury returned guilty verdict on a single count of rape; sentence hearing adjourned to 19 June. The woman was unable to consent due to alcohol. No charge was brought against a second man with whom she had anal sex later that night in a B&B.

    victim, 19, female, Spanish, non-irishconvicted, 33, male, irish (judged from name)
  2. 25 Feb2025
    In courtirishmirror.ie, follow-up
    Rape trial shown footage of encounter between complainant and man not on trial

    Describes the playing of 40 minutes of CCTV footage of the complainant's sexual encounter with a second man at a B&B, the complainant's cross-examination by defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC, the judge's reasoning for admitting the footage, and the trial being extended with one juror discharged.

    victim, 19, female, Spanish, non-irishaccused, 33, male
  3. 24 Feb2025
    In courtirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Spanish tourist allegedly raped in Dublin six years ago denies being ‘affectionate’ with accused

    The complainant gave evidence at trial, denying she was 'affectionate' with the accused on CCTV footage after the alleged rape. She also described a second sexual encounter with a different man at a B&B, for whom no charge was brought. The trial continues before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs.

    victim, female, Spanish, non-irishaccused, 33, malesuspect, male