Ireland Former male model jailed for four years for rape of college student
Danielle Lyons, a fellow college student, says Utseoritselaju "Laju" Uwatse, a 25-year-old man, carried her into a bedroom and lay her on the bed after a night out on 20 April 2018 that began at Cratloe Student Village and continued in Limerick city. Uwatse was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and said the sex was consensual. In March 2023 a jury at the Central Criminal Court found him guilty of a single count of rape. In June 2023 Mr Justice Paul Burns jailed him for four years, and that sentence is the latest development.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced12 Jun
5 reports
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- The accused carried the victim, Danielle Lyons, into a bedroom and laid her on the bed.
- The accused told the victim they had had sex and that the condom had broken.
- Cause
- The victim woke the following morning, realised she had not consented to sex and became upset.
- Where
- A group of college students gathered at Cratloe Student Village before going into Limerick city, where they visited Smyth's pub and a late bar named Molloy's in one source and Molly's in another.
- When
- The offence took place on 20 April 2018.
- Investigation
- Uwatse was arrested and questioned in June 2018 and said the sex had been consensual.
- Charges
- A jury found Uwatse guilty of a single count of rape.
- In court
- A jury at the Central Criminal Court found Uwatse guilty of a single count of rape in March 2023, with Conor Devally SC prosecuting.
- The judge said rape is a serious crime and agreed that a headline sentence of between seven and 10 years was deserved.
- Sentence
- Mr Justice Paul Burns jailed Uwatse for four years, as reported on 12 June 2023.
- Other details
- Uwatse, of Avonmore Road, Raheen, Limerick, has no previous convictions.
- Uwatse was born in Nigeria and moved to Ireland as a child, according to the defence account.
- The victim waived her anonymity to allow Uwatse to be named and read an impact statement to the court.
- The victim said she never intended for Uwatse to be jailed and only wanted an apology.
36 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)
- 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)
The reporting
newest first- 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