Case No. 2404Rape, oral rape, sexual assault · Co. Dublin · 31 Aug 2019
Three men convicted of rape and sexual assault of woman met in Dublin nightclub
Anthony Hickey, Fabio Vicente and Matin Zolfaghari were convicted by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of rape, oral rape and sexual assault of a woman they met in a Dublin nightclub on 31 August 2019. The judge remanded all three in custody and adjourned the case to 10 March 2025 for sentence.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court20 Jan
6 reports - Convicted5 Feb
4 reports - Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports137 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe vehicle involved was a Volkswagen SUV (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThree men are accused of raping and sexually assaulting a woman on 31 August 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man shared two video clips he recorded in a group chat with the first accused and another male friend. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe described sharing the videos as a 'locker room chat' between 'blokes' sent 'for a laugh'. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOne video clip was 30 seconds long and the other lasted six seconds. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA female voice says 'no' several times during the 30-second clip. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA garda witness believed a male voice said 'Stick it up her arse' during the 30-second clip. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said he recorded one video in the SUV and one in the house as it was his 'first time experiencing something like this'. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe video taken in the house was made while the first accused was having sex with the woman. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe 30-second clip included the first man asking the woman for anal sex, which she refused. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said his sexual interactions with the woman were kissing in the SUV and her performing oral sex on him in the house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said he didn't have sex with the complainant and didn't see any rough play. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said the woman was 'having fun' and didn't withdraw consent at any point. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said the woman's jeans and underwear were removed during sexual activity but her top remained on throughout. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAn 'ear witness', a roommate of the first man, heard them in the house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said he went to the nightclub with the two other accused where they encountered the woman. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe second accused 'linked arms' with the woman outside the nightclub. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said the woman didn't look drunk and was 'straight up...normal-like'. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said they couldn't go inside his home as his mother was asleep downstairs. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe third man said the sexual activity ended as everyone was tired and he left the house with the second accused in the early hours. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThree men were convicted of rape and sexual assault of a woman they met in a Dublin nightclub almost six years ago (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThree men were convicted of rape, oral rape and sexual assault of a woman they met in a Dublin nightclub. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman gave evidence from behind plastic screens attached to the side of the witness box. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman said she was raped twice in the car but could not say if it was by the same person. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman met the men in a Dublin nightclub. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman believed she was drugged after her housemate left. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman recalled a bag of white powder in the vicinity but could not remember if she took any. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman said she was raped twice in the car but could not say if by the same person. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman's next memory was lying on a bed with two others in the room, one on top of her. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHickey was asleep beside the woman when she woke the next morning. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe three men appeared shocked after the court rose and hugged family members before being taken into custody. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman and her housemate went for drinks before going to the nightclub in the early hours of 31 August 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman had silly chat with a group of men, possibly three or four, while dancing. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman's first recollection after leaving the nightclub was sitting in the back of a vehicle she thought was a taxi. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman said she remembered a male being on top of her in the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe taxi driver was playing with his zipper before the woman lost memory until the house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman said the three men were strangers to her then and are strangers to her now. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe woman was met in a Dublin nightclub. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe alleged offences took place in a car and in a Dublin house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe offences took place in a car and in a Dublin house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident took place in a car and in a Dublin house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe offences allegedly occurred at an unknown location in a car and in a Dublin house. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe woman was met at a Dublin nightclub. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe offences occurred at an unknown location in a car and in a Dublin house (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe alleged offences took place in a car and in a Dublin house on 31 August 2019 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe alleged offences took place on 31 August 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe offences occurred on 31 August 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe offences took place on 31 August 2019. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe offences occurred on 31 August 2019 in a car and in a Dublin house. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí reviewed around 160 hours of CCTV as part of their investigation (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe complainant was taken in a patrol car on 31 August 2019 to try to identify the house but could not pinpoint it (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationCCTV was used to identify the vehicle and trace its journey (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationNo evidence of the woman taking or being provided a white powder was identified in the nightclub CCTV (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationNo evidence was seen of the accused men handing the woman a drink (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe woman made a formal statement on 9 September 2019 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationSearches were carried out in December 2019, seizing mobile phones and the Volkswagen SUV (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe accused men were interviewed in September 2020 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA solicitor representing the three accused contacted the investigating garda shortly after searches in December 2019, and the men were interviewed in September 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThree phones were seized from the second man when his home was searched in December 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA further phone was seized after the second man's interview in September 2020. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe men gave similar accounts in voluntary interviews with gardaí on 10 September 2020, each saying the woman consented to sexual activity. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe three men pleaded not guilty to a total of seven counts of rape, oral rape and sexual assault (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- chargeThe first man, aged 39, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in his home, one count of oral rape and one count of sexual assault in a car (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe second man, aged 42, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in the car and one count of rape in the house (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe third man, aged 34, pleaded not guilty to oral rape in the house and sexual assault in the car (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe first accused, aged 39 in Dublin, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in his home, one count of oral rape in a car, and one count of sexual assault in a car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe second accused, aged 42 in Wicklow, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in the car and one count of rape in the house. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe third accused, aged 34 in Dublin, pleaded not guilty to oral rape in the house and sexual assault in the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThree men pleaded not guilty to a total of seven counts of rape, oral rape and sexual assault. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe second accused pleaded not guilty to one count of raping the woman in the car and one count of raping her in the house. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe first man, aged 39 with an address in Dublin, pleaded not guilty to one count of raping the woman at his home, one count of oral rape and one count of sexually assaulting her in a car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe third man, aged 34 with an address in Dublin, pleaded not guilty to orally raping the woman in the house and sexually assaulting her in the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe first man, aged 39 with a Dublin address, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in his home, one count of oral rape and one count of sexual assault in a car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe second man, aged 42 with a Wicklow address, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in the car and one count of rape in the house. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe third man, aged 34 with a Dublin address, pleaded not guilty to oral rape in the house and sexual assault in the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe three men pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape, oral rape and sexual assault. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe first man, aged 39 with a Dublin address, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in his home, one count of oral rape in a car, and one count of sexual assault in a car. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe three men had pleaded not guilty to a total of seven counts of rape, oral rape and sexual assault (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeHickey had pleaded not guilty to one count of raping the woman in his then-home address in Ballyogan, one count of oral rape, and one count of sexually assaulting her in a car (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- chargeVicente had pleaded not guilty to one count of raping the woman in the car and one count of raping her in the house (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- chargeZolfaghari had pleaded not guilty to orally raping the woman in the house and sexually assaulting her in the car (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- chargeAnthony Hickey, 39, of Carrickmines, Dublin 18, was convicted of rape, oral rape and sexual assault by a majority verdict. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeFabio Vicente, 42, of Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, was convicted of two counts of rape by a majority verdict. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeMatin Zolfaghari, 34, of Rathfarnham, was convicted of oral rape by a majority verdict and acquitted of sexual assault. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA 15-minute CCTV compilation was shown to the jury (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is being heard by Mr Justice Paul Burns (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is taking place at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is being heard at the Central Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtDiana Stuart, BL is prosecuting and Garret Baker SC is defending the second accused. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe jury started its deliberations in the trial at the Central Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul Burns completed his charge to the jury and invited them to consider their verdicts. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtJurors deliberated for around one hour before being asked to pause for the day. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe jury was told to pause deliberations for the bank holiday weekend. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtAfter approximately four hours of deliberations, Mr Justice Paul Burns directed the jury to pause and return the following Tuesday. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe jury of eight men and four women returned guilty verdicts on six of the seven charges after 13 hours of deliberation (irishmirror.ie)
- courtAnthony Hickey, 39, of Ballyogan Square, Carrickmines, Dublin 18, was convicted of rape, oral rape and sexual assault by a majority verdict (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- courtFabio Vicente, 42, of Little Newtown, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, was convicted of two counts of rape by a majority verdict (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- courtMatin Zolfaghari, 34, of Marley Court, Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin, was convicted of oral rape by a majority verdict and acquitted of sexual assault (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe complainant was present in court when the verdicts were read out (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie, irishtimes.com)
- courtThe judge remanded the three men in custody and adjourned the case until 10 March for sentence (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe jury consisted of eight men and four women and returned guilty verdicts on six of the seven charges. (dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe jury deliberated for a total of 13 hours. (dublinlive.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul Burns thanked jurors for their care and attention to the case, describing it as particularly difficult. (dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe judge directed the preparation of a victim impact statement. (dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe jury of eight men and four women returned guilty verdicts on six of seven charges after 13 hours of deliberation. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul Burns remanded the three in custody and adjourned the case until 10 March for sentence. (irishtimes.com)
- courtAnthony Hickey was convicted of rape, oral rape and sexual assault by a majority verdict. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtFabio Vicente was convicted of two counts of rape by a majority verdict. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMartin Zolfaghari was convicted of oral rape by a majority verdict and acquitted of sexual assault. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul Burns thanked jurors for their care and attention to the case. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe case was adjourned to 10 March for sentencing and a victim impact statement was directed. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second accused man is the registered owner of the Volkswagen SUV (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe complainant believed she may have been drugged in the club (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe men cannot be named for legal reasons (irishmirror.ie)
- otherA WhatsApp chat between the first accused and the third man dated 9 September 2019 was played for the jury. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherA female voice could be heard saying 'no' several times during a 30-second clip. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second clip is six seconds long and no words are audible. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe exchanges were not found on a phone seized from the third man. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGardaí could not say the time each video was recorded or the order in which they were recorded. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe first accused said he performed oral sex on the woman in the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe first accused said the second man got into the back of the vehicle, kissed the woman, and they had sex. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe first accused said the second man and the woman had sex in his bedroom. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe first accused said the woman performed oral sex on him and then on the third man. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe first accused said the woman asked to stay over and they slept in the same bed. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe first accused said he walked the woman to his front door, gave her a kiss, and saw her get into a taxi. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second accused is 42 with an address in Wicklow. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherTwo video clips were recorded by the third man on 31 August 2019 and recovered from the phone of the first accused. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherIn a 30-second clip, a female voice says 'no' several times. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherAn investigating garda believed a male voice says 'stick it up her arse' in the clip. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second man accepted he was the person described as a 'taxi driver' by the woman in her statement. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherToxicology results showed the complainant was highly intoxicated. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second man described the woman as 'happy, not drunk' and 'steady on her feet'. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second man said he was 100% sure everything that happened was consensual. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second man said the woman was 'never forced' and 'never raped'. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe second man said he would never take advantage of a half-asleep drunk girl. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe men made no visible reaction while the registrar read out the verdicts (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- otherAfter the court rose, the three men appeared shocked, then hugged family members before being taken into custody (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 5 Feb2025Full summary of Dublin rape trial as three men convicted of various sex offences
Full trial summary including prosecution and defence evidence, CCTV, DNA analysis, video clips, WhatsApp messages and the jury's verdicts on six of seven charges.
victim, femaleconvicted, Anthony Hickey, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Anthony Hickeyconvicted, Fabio Vicente, 42, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Fabio Vicenteconvicted, Martin Zolfaghari, 34, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Martin Zolfaghari - 5 Feb2025Three men convicted of rape and sexual assault of woman they met in Dublin nightclub
Reports the jury verdicts, trial evidence including the complainant's testimony about being drugged, WhatsApp messages between the accused, and the judge's direction for a victim impact statement and sentencing on 10 March 2025.
victim, femaleconvicted, Anthony Hickey, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Anthony Hickeyconvicted, Fabio Vicente, 42, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Fabio Vicenteconvicted, Matin Zolfaghari, 34, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Matin Zolfaghari - 5 Feb2025Three men convicted of rape and sex assault of woman they met in nightclub
Provides the specific charges each man was convicted of, the jury composition (eight men and four women), 13 hours of deliberation, guilty verdicts on six of seven charges, the judge's comments, the complainant's presence in court, and the men's post-verdict reactions.
victim, femaleconvicted, Anthony Hickey, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Anthony Hickeyconvicted, Fabio Vicente, 42, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Fabio Vicenteconvicted, Matin Zolfaghari, 34, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Matin Zolfaghari - 5 Feb2025Three men convicted over rape and sex assault of woman they met in nightclub
Provides the specific verdicts for each defendant (Hickey convicted of rape, oral rape and sexual assault; Vicente convicted of two counts of rape; Zolfaghari convicted of oral rape and acquitted of sexual assault), the jury composition (8 men, 4 women), 13 hours of deliberation, majority verdicts, that the complainant was present in court, and that the judge directed preparation of a victim impact statement.
victim, femaleconvicted, Anthony Hickey, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Anthony Hickeyconvicted, Fabio Vicente, 42, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Fabio Vicenteconvicted, Matin Zolfaghari, 34, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Matin Zolfaghari - 31 Jan2025Jury sent home for weekend in trial of men accused of raping woman in Dublin
Jury deliberations paused for bank holiday weekend after approximately four hours; individual charges for each of the three accused detailed.
victim, femaleaccused, 39, maleaccused, 42, maleaccused, 34, male - 29 Jan2025Jury retire in trial of men accused of raping woman they met at nightclub
Reports that the jury has retired to deliberate and that Mr Justice Burns paused deliberations after approximately one hour, with jurors directed to return the following Thursday.
victim, femaleaccused, 39, maleaccused, 42, maleaccused, 34, male - 23 Jan2025Man accused of rape in Dublin shared recorded videos in group chat 'for a laugh'
Details of the third accused's three garda interviews read to the jury, including his account of recording and sharing video clips, his description of the night's events, and forensic examiner's evidence of bruising and the absence of genital injuries.
victim, femaleaccused, 39, maleaccused, 42, maleaccused, 34, male - 22 Jan2025Trial hears garda interview of second man accused of gang rape in Dublin
Reports on the trial hearing of garda interview memos with the second accused, including his detailed account of the night, his denials, video evidence from the third man's phone, toxicology results showing the woman was highly intoxicated, and cross-examination of the investigating garda.
victim, femaleaccused, 39, maleaccused, 42, maleaccused, 34, male - 21 Jan2025WhatsApp evidence played at Dublin rape trial as three men deny allegations
First detailed court report of the trial. The jury heard WhatsApp chat evidence, two video clips, and the first accused's interview memos in which he described the night as a 'normal night' and denied the allegations.
victim, femaleaccused, 39, maleaccused, 42, maleaccused, 34, male - 20 Jan2025Gardai reviewed 160 hours of CCTV after woman alleged rape by three men
Trial evidence on CCTV investigation, complainant's account of possible drugging, and the specific charges against each of the three accused men.
victim, femaleaccused, 39, maleaccused, 42, maleaccused, 34, male