Westmeath Marital Rape Victim Speaks Out After Husband Jailed For 10 Years

Explicit content warning.

A Westmeath victim of marital rape is describing how she had to defend her reputation against "false allegations to Tusla and the gardaí.

Tracey Jessop is waiving her anonymity so her former husband, 45 year old Joseph Jessop, formerly of Newtown, Tyrellspass, could be named.

After a trial at the Central Criminal Court last May, a jury convicted Jessop of rape and oral rape of his estranged wife on February 2, 2021. 

He was also convicted of raping her on March 29, 2021 and of assault causing her harm in November 2020.

He had denied all the charges.

After separating around 2018 they continued to the share the same house

A series of assaults then followed both violent and sexual in their nature.

Ms Jessop was left hospitalised after one incident, while after one attack, Mr Jessop contacted the HSE and social services and made complaints about her drinking and the state of the house. 

When a social worker called later that day, Ms Jessop disclosed she had been raped that morning.

He initially denied there was any sexual contact until DNA evidence was put to him, he then insisted it was consensual.
 
Defence counsel said Jessop became addicted to cocaine and has since lost his business. 

In her victim impact statement, the woman said that the "horrendous acts of violence" carried out on her left her feeling worthless and disgusted.

Sentencing Jessop today, Mr Justice Sean Gillane noted the jury found his answers to gardaí about consensual sex to be "nonsense"

He set a headline sentence of 11 and a half years, which he reduced to 10 years taking some minor mitigating factors into account. 

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