Ireland Case No. 22663Rape · Co. Donegal
Francis Bourne sentenced to five years for raping sleeping girlfriend in Donegal
Francis Bourne, 47, of Buncrana, Co Donegal, was sentenced to five years in prison (with the final two years suspended) by Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court for raping his sleeping girlfriend at her home in Donegal in November 2016.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced26 Jan
3 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports33 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe woman was aged 28 at the time of the offence. (donegallive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe couple had cuddled before the woman fell asleep. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatShe was awoken to find him having penetrative sex with her without her consent. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatBourne has no previous convictions. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whatSince the rape the woman has suffered from nightmares, depression and suicidal thoughts and has become extremely withdrawn. (donegallive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatBourne is assessed as being at a medium risk of reoffending. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe had been in a good relationship with the accused and they had a healthy sexual relationship. (donegallive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe was woken gently by a weird feeling and realised he was having sex with her. (donegallive.ie)
- whatHe was making an effort to be quiet, and once he ejaculated he got slowly out of bed and tip-toed out of the room. (donegallive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatBourne told her he could not sleep and had come down for a smoke. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatIt took a long time for her to accept what had happened because she was in love with him. (donegallive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe disclosed what had happened to a friend, who told her it was rape. (donegallive.ie)
- whatThe woman said she had lost her dignity, self-worth and trust in her partner. (donegallive.ie)
- whatSince the rape the woman has suffered from nightmares, depression and suicidal thoughts. (irishtimes.com)
- whatBourne has suffered significant mental health issues from his early teenage years. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe made an effort to be quiet during the act and tiptoed out of the room afterwards. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused was active in voluntary work in his locality. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe couple had cuddled before the woman fell asleep, and she was awoken to find him having penetrative sex with her without her consent. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatWhen she spoke to him downstairs, he said he could not sleep and had come down for a smoke, and when she mentioned she was sore he said nothing. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatBourne admitted what he did when confronted, apologised and said he did not know what he was thinking. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe sent messages apologising for what he had done and asking for another chance. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe couple had a very active sex life. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe offence took place in November 2016. (donegallive.ie)
- whenThe offence occurred on November 31, 2016. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe injured party first made gardaí aware of the allegation in June 2017. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe woman gave her phone to gardaí during the investigation. (donegallive.ie)
- chargeFrancis Bourne pleaded guilty to the rape of a woman at her home in Donegal. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul McDermott passed the sentence at the Central Criminal Court. (donegallive.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul McDermott passed sentence at the Central Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard at the Central Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul McDermott passed sentence. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceBourne was sentenced to five years in prison with the final two years suspended for two years under strict conditions. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceBourne was ordered not to approach or have any contact with the woman directly, by third parties, or via social media. (donegallive.ie, irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 27 Jan2023Man who raped his sleeping girlfriend sentenced to five years in prison
Sentencing details including victim impact statement, mitigating factors, psychological report, and conditions of the suspended portion of the sentence.
victim, 28, femaleconvicted, Francis Bourne, 47, male, named, irish (judged from name)Francis Bourne - 26 Jan2023Donegal man who raped sleeping girlfriend in her home is jailed
Full sentencing hearing details including the victim impact statement, garda testimony, the judge's reasoning, the conditions of the suspended sentence, and a psychological report on the accused.
victim, 28, femaleconvicted, Francis Bourne, 47, male, named, irish (judged from name)Francis Bourne - 26 Jan2023Jail for Donegal man who raped his sleeping girlfriend in her home
Provides full detail of the sentencing hearing including the victim impact statement, the garda's account of the night of the offence, the phone text in which Bourne admitted rape, mitigating factors, and the non-approach order.
victim, 28, femaleconvicted, Francis Bourne, 47, male, named, irish (judged from name)Francis Bourne