Ireland Former male model jailed for four years for rape in Limerick
On 20 April 2018, after a night out in Limerick city, Utseoritselaju Uwatse, 25, carried Danielle Lyons, a fellow college student, into a bedroom at a student village; she woke the following morning to find he had had sex with her without her consent. Uwatse, a former male model born in Nigeria who moved to Ireland as a child, was arrested and questioned in June 2018, telling gardaí the sex had been consensual. A Central Criminal Court jury found him guilty of a single count of rape in March 2023. Mr Justice Paul Burns sentenced him to four years in prison in June 2023, noting that a headline sentence of seven to 10 years was deserved.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced12 Jun
6 reports
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- The accused carried the victim into a bedroom and had sex with her without her consent; she woke the following morning to realise she had not consented.
- Where
- The offence took place at a student village in Limerick after a night out that included Molloy's late bar in Limerick city.
- When
- The offence took place on 20 April 2018.
- Investigation
- Uwatse was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and told gardaí the sex had been consensual.
- Charges
- A Central Criminal Court jury found Uwatse guilty of a single count of rape in March 2023.
- In court
- Mr Justice Paul Burns said a headline sentence of seven to 10 years was deserved for the offence.
- Sentence
- Uwatse was sentenced to four years in prison in June 2023.
- Other details
- Uwatse, a former male model born in Nigeria who moved to Ireland as a child, has no previous convictions.
- The victim, Danielle Lyons, waived her anonymity and read an impact statement to the court, saying she never intended for Uwatse to be jailed and only wanted an apology.
38 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe accused carried the victim into a bedroom and lay her on the bed. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe accused told the victim that they had had sex and the condom had broken. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe victim realised she had not consented to sex. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe victim woke the following morning to find she had been had sex with without consent. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe offence followed a night out that included Molloy’s late bar in Limerick city. (limerickleader.ie)
- whereThe victim and another friend returned to the student village after leaving the pub. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereThe night out began in Limerick city and the victim later returned to the student village. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe offence took place on 20 April 2018. (limerickleader.ie, limerickpost.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe offence took place on April 20, 2018. (irishmirror.ie)
- causeThe victim said she realised she had not consented and became upset. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationUwatse was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and said the sex was consensual. (limerickleader.ie)
- investigationHe was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and said the sex had been consensual. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe accused was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and said the sex had been consensual. (limerickpost.ie)
- investigationUwatse was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and told gardaí the sex had been consensual. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeHe was found guilty of a single count of rape. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe accused was found guilty of a single count of rape by a jury. (limerickpost.ie)
- chargeThe case involves the rape of a fellow college student. (extra.ie)
- courtA jury at the Central Criminal Court found Uwatse guilty of a single count of rape in March 2023. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe judge said rape was a serious crime and that Uwatse deserved a headline sentence of between seven and 10 years. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtA Central Criminal Court jury found him guilty in March 2023. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe judge said he agreed a headline sentence of seven to 10 years was deserved. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul Burns sentenced the accused at the Central Criminal Court. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtA Central Criminal Court jury found Uwatse guilty of a single count of rape. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe guilty verdict was returned in March 2023. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceUwatse was jailed for four years. (limerickleader.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceHe was jailed for four years. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe judge agreed a headline sentence of between seven and 10 years was deserved. (limerickpost.ie)
- sentenceThe accused was jailed for four years. (limerickpost.ie)
- sentenceThe former male model was jailed for four years. (extra.ie)
- sentenceA man was jailed for raping a student at a house party. (extra.ie)
- otherUwatse has no previous convictions. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe victim, Danielle Lyons, read an impact statement to the court. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherHe has no previous convictions. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe was born in Nigeria and moved to Ireland as a child. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe accused has no previous convictions. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe accused was born in Nigeria and moved to Ireland as a child. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe victim said she never intended for Uwatse to be jailed and only wanted an apology. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe man is described as a male model. (extra.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 15 Jun2023Face Of Male Model Jailed For Raping Student At House Party
Only the headline gives facts. The body is an unfilled search-results template with no names, dates, location or court details.
convicted, male - 14 Jun2023Pictured: The former male model jailed for raping a student
Reports the sentence of four years, the March 2023 jury verdict and details of the offence and victim's reaction. Includes the first picture of Uwatse and the victim's impact statement.
convicted, Laju Uwatse, 25, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Laju Uwatsevictim, female - 13 Jun2023Former Male Model Jailed For Four Years For Raping Fellow College Student
Only the headline contains article content; the body is unpopulated template markup. The headline gives no location or dates, so Irish location is inferred from the extra.ie source and is not stated in the text.
convictedvictim - 12 Jun2023Former male model jailed for four years for rape of Limerick student
Reports the June 2023 sentencing at the Central Criminal Court, the jury verdict in March 2023, the judge's comments and the defence submissions. Names the victim and the accused in full.
convicted, Utseoritselaju Uwatse, 25, male, namedUtseoritselaju Uwatsevictim, Danielle Lyons, female, irish (judged from name)Danielle Lyons - 12 Jun2023Former male model jailed for rape of college student
Sentencing report: jury verdict in March 2023, four-year sentence imposed by Mr Justice Paul Burns, and details of the trial evidence and the accused's background.
convicted, Utseoritselaju Uwatse, 25, male, namedUtseoritselaju Uwatsevictim, female - 12 Jun2023Former male model jailed for raping college student on night out in Limerick city
Reports the four-year prison sentence imposed by Mr Justice Paul Burns after the jury verdict in March. Adds the judge's remarks on a headline sentence of seven to 10 years, the defence account of the accused's background and the victim impact statement.
convicted, Utseoritselaju Uwatse, 25, male, namedUtseoritselaju Uwatsevictim, Danielle Lyons, female, irish (judged from name)Danielle Lyons