Written 2 years ago by Newsroom

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A Laois man who anally raped a pregnant woman as she slept following a night out has been jailed for seven and a half years.

The 59-year-old, who can not be named to protect his victim’s identity, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury following a five day trial in December of anal rape of the 34-year-old woman at her home on October 10, 2010.

The court heard the man, who has no previous convictions, does not accept the verdict of the jury.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said that five years on from the rape there wasn’t a day went by where she didn’t have flashbacks or feel panic or intense sadness.

She said she suffered nightmares and nausea almost daily because the thought of what happened sickened her so much.

In sentencing, Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy said the woman had been ‘devastated’ by the assault and her pregnancy had been ‘blighted’ by her concerns about possible harm to her unborn child.

She noted the numerous testimonials handed into court on behalf of the accused man and said although he was a good member of the community, he seemed to have a warped sense of entitlement in sexual matters.

Ms Justice Murphy imposed a seven and a half year sentence which she backdated to when he went into custody in December.