A man who violently sexually assaulted his former sister-in-law in a prolonged and “terrifying ordeal” in her bed, during which he threatened to stab her 50 times, has been jailed for nine years.
The 41-year-old man, who can't be named to protect the anonymity of his victim, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of aggravated sexual assault of the woman at her Dublin home on July 16th 2021. It is a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court heard the man entered his former sister-in-law's bedroom at around 2am on the morning in question and subjected her to a prolonged and violent sexual assault over the subsequent five hours.
Sentencing the man on Friday, Ms Justice Melanie Greally noted that during the “terrifying ordeal”, the man repeatedly sexually assaulted the woman, including digitally penetrating her on multiple occasions to the point that she sustained internal injuries.
He was armed with a metal object which was described as a turkey baster, and he threatened to stab her 50 times if she did not comply with his demands, the court heard.
He physically assaulted the woman by “choking, pulling, pushing, grabbing and turning (her) with force”, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said. “At times she struggled to breathe.” He pushed the turkey baster against her body during the assault.
The woman made every effort to resist the man, which further enraged him, the court heard. He took her phone when she tried to call for help. She eventually managed to escape her home at 7.30am and was discovered by a neighbour.
She was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit where she was found to have bruising and abrasions consistent with a sexual and physical assault.
In her victim impact statement, the woman said she is a shadow of the person she used to be, and she has withdrawn from all forms of physical activity. She suffers from panic attacks and is in a “perpetual state of fear and anxiety”.
Ms Justice Greally noted the woman is “a long way from putting this offence behind her”.
The court heard the man is originally from the Dominican Republic. He has no previous convictions. The court heard he was working for a tech company at the time of the offence and has two children, including one child with his victim's sister.
The court heard the man's guilty plea was accepted by the prosecution on a full facts basis. He has been in custody since July 2022 and has stated he intends to return to the Dominican Republic upon his release.
Ms Justice Greally noted the aggravating factors in the case included the “prolonged nature of the offence”, the “multiplicity of sexual violations”, the “persistent and extreme level of abuse”, the threats to kill and the restriction of the woman's liberty.
She set a headline sentence of 14 years, before taking mitigating factors into account including the man's lack of previous criminal offending and his guilty plea.
She handed down a sentence of 10 and a half years and suspended the final 18 months on a number of conditions, including that the man leave the jurisdiction within seven days of his release from custody, and that he not return to Ireland for a period of 30 years.
By Isabel Hayes
