Case No. 1542Rape, sexual assault, aiding and abetting rape · Co. Limerick · 26 Dec 2022
Three boys sentenced for rape of 16-year-old girl at Limerick Racecourse
Two boys, aged 13 and 15 at the time, were sentenced to seven and a half years' detention (18 months suspended) for raping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse on 26 December 2022, while a third boy, aged 15, was jailed for five years (18 months suspended) for aiding and abetting the rapes by moving the car.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced5 Jun
2 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports35 statements extracted from the articles
- whatTwo boys raped a teenage girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe two rapists were aged 13 and 15 at the time of the offence (irishtimes.com)
- whatA third defendant was found guilty of aiding and abetting the rapes by moving the car (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe daytime attack involved humiliation and degradation (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim was a 16-year-old intoxicated girl in a vulnerable situation (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe girl was raped one after the other by the two boys and sexually assaulted in the course of the rapes (irishtimes.com)
- whatVideo footage was taken of the incident (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys have not expressed remorse or understanding of the harm caused (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys must be sentenced as juveniles under the Children Act (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe three boys are all cousins (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys have no previous convictions (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys have been subject to childhood trauma with mental health difficulties in their families (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys had a lack of understanding in the areas of sexual relations and consent (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe girl was socialising with her friends at the racecourse on the day of the incident (irishtimes.com)
- whatTwo boys raped and sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA third boy aided and abetted the rapes by moving the car during the attack. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatVideo footage was taken of the incident by one of the boys. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim was a virgin prior to the attack. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim was found to have extensive bleeding and bruising when medically examined. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe boys denied the rape and claimed it was a consensual encounter. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third boy was acquitted of one count of false imprisonment. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe car in which the attack occurred belonged to one of the boys' fathers. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe incident occurred on 26 December 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe attack took place on 26 December 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial was held at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- courtSentencing was handed down at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe two rapists were sentenced to 7½ years of detention with the final 18 months suspended (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceConditions include engaging in sexual offending programmes and having no contact with the complainant (irishtimes.com)
- sentencePart of the rapists' sentence will be served in prison (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe third defendant was sentenced to five years in jail with the final 18 months suspended (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe two rapists were sentenced to seven and a half years' detention with the final 18 months suspended. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe judge stated that had the boys been adults, the headline sentence would have been 15 years to life imprisonment. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe three boys are all cousins with no previous convictions. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe boys have been in detention or custody since the guilty verdicts in April 2025. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe suspended conditions include engaging in sexual offending programmes and no contact with the complainant. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 5 Jun2025Teen boys who raped girl at Limerick Racecourse carpark learn fate
Sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin; the boys had been found guilty at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork earlier in 2025 after a six-week trial, with verdicts handed down in April 2025.
victim, 16, femaleconvicted, 13, maleconvicted, 15, maleconvicted, 15, male - 5 Jun2025Teenage boys sentenced to six years in detention for raping girl in car at Limerick Racecourse
Sentencing at Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork. The two rapists (now 16 and 17) received 7½ years' detention with 18 months suspended; the aider and abettor (now 18) received 5 years' imprisonment with 18 months suspended. All three are cousins and denied the rapes, claiming the encounter was consensual. The victim, now 18, was not in court but read a victim statement.
victim, 16, femaleconvicted, 13, maleconvicted, 15, maleconvicted, 15, male