Ireland Case No. 6740Rape · Co. Dublin
Man jailed for 12½ years for raping and smothering wife in Dublin
A 25-year-old man was convicted of raping, sexually assaulting, falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill his wife in Dublin in September 2023. The offences included two rapes and two serious sexual assaults, and he smothered her with his hand while threatening her with a knife. He was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on 31 March 2025, with reports giving the term as 12½ years in one source and 13 years with the final six months suspended in another. He does not accept the verdicts and has not expressed remorse.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced31 Mar
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A 25-year-old man was convicted of raping, sexually assaulting, falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill his wife.
- He raped the woman twice and sexually assaulted her twice, and she made clear she did not want to have sex.
- He got on top of her and put his hand over her nose and mouth, leaving her unable to breathe, and her face was ashen grey with blue lips.
- Weapon
- He threatened her with a knife and told her not to talk or shout.
- Where
- The offences took place in Dublin in what was effectively the family home.
- When
- The offences took place in September 2023.
- Cause
- The woman promised not to report the incident so she could leave the house, then went to a garda station instead of the social welfare office.
- Other details
- The couple had a turbulent relationship with safety and barring orders, and they reconciled after he was released from prison.
- He has 35 previous convictions, including theft, burglary, robbery and breaching a protection order.
- He denied any rape or sexual assault took place and accused the woman of making it up, and he has not expressed remorse.
- The woman says she constantly worries about her safety and has flashbacks and nightmares since the incident.
- The woman says she has been isolated from the Traveller community for reporting the offences, which she says was seen as not the Traveller way.
- In court
- Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo passed sentence at the Central Criminal Court on 31 March 2025.
- Sentence
- One report gives the sentence as 12½ years, while the key facts give 13 years with the final six months suspended on conditions including engaging with the Probation Service.
16 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe woman was subjected to two rapes and two serious sexual assaults by her husband in what was effectively the family home. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man got on top of his wife and put his hand over her nose and mouth, leaving her unable to breathe. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman's face was ashen grey and her lips blue from the smothering. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man raped the woman, sexually assaulted her, then raped her a second time while she made it clear she did not want to do it. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman promised not to report the incident so she could leave the house, then went to the garda station instead of the social welfare office. (irishtimes.com)
- weaponThe man threatened his wife with a knife, telling her not to talk or shout. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMr Justice Kerida Naidoo passed sentence at the Central Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe man was sentenced to 13 years with the final six months suspended on conditions including engaging with the Probation Service. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man has 35 previous convictions for offences including theft, burglary, robbery and breaching a protection order. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man does not accept the guilty verdicts and has not expressed any remorse. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe couple had a turbulent relationship with a number of safety and barring orders obtained over the years. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe accused was in prison for a number of years but the couple rekindled their relationship after his release. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man denied any sexual assault or rape had taken place, accusing the woman of making it up. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe victim said she has constantly worried about her safety and suffered flashbacks and nightmares since the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe victim said the man would drink, gamble and scam her out of her social welfare payments when she had children to feed. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man told his wife on his release from prison that he had done anger management. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 31 Mar2025Woman says she has been isolated from Traveller community for reporting ‘terrifying’ rapes by husband
Sentencing report at Central Criminal Court; includes victim impact statement, details of the smothering and knife threat, and the victim's account of community isolation for reporting the offences.
victim, female, irish (judged from name)convicted, 25, male, irish (judged from name)