Sunday 1 November 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. 23780Sexual assault · Co. Dublin · 13 May 2018

Former RTE journalist Mícheál Ó Leidhin loses sexual assault appeal at Court of Appeal

Mícheál Ó Leidhin, a 38-year-old former Raidió na Gaeltachta political reporter, had his appeal against conviction and sentence for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman at his home in south Dublin in May 2018 dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 1 December 2022. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly ruled that consent cannot be implied when a person is asleep and that his 18-month sentence (with three months suspended) was not disproportionate.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In court1 Dec
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
20 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatMícheál Ó Leidhin was a political reporter for Raidió na Gaeltachta (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim woke to find him on top of her groping her breasts (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatHe said something along the lines of 'sorry, I'm horny' (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman told him she did not want to have sex as they had no contraception (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatIn a statement to gardaí he said he was trying to wake her to continue 'fooling around' (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim said her mind and body had been violated and she had lost her place in the world (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim attempted to kill herself by overdosing (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe assault took place at his former home in south Dublin (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereHe lives at Sunnyside, Malahide Road, Artane (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe assault occurred in the early hours of the morning of May 13, 2018 (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtHe was found guilty by a jury in July 2022 for sexual assault (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe appeal was heard at the Court of Appeal on 1 December 2022 (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtMs Justice Aileen Donnelly ruled that consent cannot be implied when a person is asleep (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe conviction appeal was dismissed (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtLorcan Staines SC argued the jury should have been told to consider implied consent (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe headline sentence identified by the trial judge was two and a half years (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceÓ Leidhin was given more than a one-third discount in mitigation (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe final three months of the sentence were suspended (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceHe was sentenced to 18 months with the final three months suspended (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherHe is a native of Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 1 Dec2022
    In courtirishmirror.ie, first report
    Former RTE journalist jailed for sexual assault of sleeping woman loses appeal

    Court of Appeal hearing on 1 December 2022 dismissing both the conviction appeal (implied consent argument) and the sentence appeal for Mícheál Ó Leidhin's 2018 sexual assault conviction.

    convicted, Mícheál Ó Leidhin, 38, male, named, irish (judged from name)Mícheál Ó Leidhinvictim, female