This week the courts saw one asylum seeker jailed for sexually assaulting a woman in Dublin, while another international protection applicant was charged with the rape of a woman in Limerick.
A Longford man who bet this heavily pregnant partner was also jailed, a former swimming coach as convicted of the rape and sexual assault of a teen girl 35-years-ago, and a man from Ghana was jailed for raping a girl he met online.
Here is the week in crime.
Clare: Asylum seeker charged with rape of woman at leisure centre
A 33-year-old asylum seeker has been charged with raping a woman at Active Ennis Leisure Centre two years ago.
The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the alleged victim, needed the aid of an interpreter when he came before a sitting of Ennis District Court yesterday, the Sunday World reports.
The Sunday World reported that man’s address was given as an IPAS centre in County Limerick.
The DDP has directed that the man be sent forth for trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Bail arrangements were put in place in respect of the man, who now lives and works in Cork according to his defence counsel, who agreed to surrender his passport
Former Irish international swimming coach convicted of historic sexual assault of teen girl.
A former Irish international swimming coach has been found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of a teenage girl 35 years ago.
78-year-old Derry O’Rourke of Virgina Road, Cavan, maintained his innocence before the Central Criminal Court denying charges of one count of rape and 15 counts of indecent assault on dates between October 1989 and June 1990.
The court heard that the victim was aged between 13 and 14 years at the time.
Dublin People reported that In the course of the trial the jury was instructed to acquit the former coach of the 15 charges.
After its consideration on the 1 count of rape and 11 counts of sexual assault, jury returned a guilt verdict in respect of O’Rourke who was remanded in custody for sentencing on the 20th of July.
The court heard that O’Rourke would bring the victim into a private room for the purposes of doing muscle checks on her and that he would have her raise her arms above her head as he stood behind her and touched her chest area for elongated periods.
The victim said that at the time she did not know that what was being done to her was wrong.
The victim said that these incidents progressed and that on one occasion she was digitally raped by O’Rourke who would frequently say “good girl” and tell her that the so-called ‘muscle examinations’ were necessary.
O’Rourke, a convicted rapist, has a history of convictions for sexual assault and was jailed for 12 years in January 1998 after he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 29 offences.
These charges for defilement, sexual assault and indecent assault involved 11 girls on dates between 1976 and 1992.
Dublin: Asylum seeker in Ireland 5 days jailed for sexual assault of women in public.
An asylum seeker who followed a young woman around for approximately 30 minutes before sexually assaulting her in public was jailed for 2 years and three months by Judge Martin Nolan.
26-year-old Algerian Adel Kerai had arrived in Ireland only 5 days before he sexually assaulted the woman who was waiting for her boyfriend on O’Connell Street.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Kerai, who has 4 previous convictions in the UK, is claiming international protection in Ireland due to persecution he says he was subjected to in Algeria because of his political beliefs.
The court heard that Adel “fancied” the young woman who repeatedly tried to get away from him during the course of the assault but that he was too strong for her to break free from him when he put his arm around her shoulder.
Keria followed the woman from the shop she had been waiting outside at around 11pm and pursued her down Henry Street as she tried to break free.
The assault culminated in Kerai trying to kiss the 22- year-old woman as well as putting her hand down her top, touching her genital area over her clothes, and pressing his erect penis against her.
A passerby who noticed that the young woman was crying intervened as well as two Gardaí who were on foot patrol in the area.
Kerai pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault with his defence saying that at the time of the incident he was under the impression that the victim was interested in him.
Judge Nolan said that the ordeal had been “very frightening” for the young woman and that Adel had “no right whatsoever” to behave in the way he had towards her.
The sentence of 27 months was backdated to December 2023 when the man was taken into custody.
Longford man who assaulted heavily pregnant girlfriend and spat at her in court jailed.
23-year-old Michael Purcell who has an address at of McEoin Park, Farnagh, Longford shouted at the mother of his child that she was “nothing but dirt” as he was being taken away by Gardaí at a sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
The Sunday World reported that Purcell also spat at the mother of his 18-month-old daughter during the course of the sitting.
At the hearing Judge Kenneth Connelly handed Purcell a sentence of two years with the final 6 months suspended for 12 months.
This sentence was given in respect of a guilty plea entered by Purcell for the assault of the mother of his child while she was 37-week pregnant.
Due to his actions in the courtroom, Purcell was called again before Judge Connelly this morning who reactivated 3 months of the 6 months which had been suspended from his initial sentence.
Purcell denied having directed abuse at the mother of his child as she was sitting in the court’s public gallery.
Purcell was sent to jail to serve a 21-month custodial sentence.
Clare resident jailed for six-and-a- half years for raping teenage girl he met online.
Clare resident Geoffry Kumah (27) was found guilty by a jury of the rape of a girl who was 17-year-old at the time of the assault on October 21, 2018
Clare FM reported that Kumah of of Showgrounds Court, Drumbiggle Road, Ennis, Co Clare, who is originally from Ghana, was jailed for years six-and-a- half years for the rape of the girl whom he had befriended online.
In a victim impact statement, the woman who is now in her twenties, said that her brain “not grasp there is this type of evil so close to home” with the court hearing that Kumah had ‘stolen her innocence’.
On the day of the rape the then teenager had met up with Kumah and consented to some kissing but had indicated that she did not want to engage in intercourse.
The court heard that the victim had repeatedly asked Kumah to stop and had tried to push him away from her but that she eventually just froze.
Passing a headline sentence of eight years and 6 months , Mr Justice Michael MacGrath took into consideration a number of mitigating factors such as Kumah’s lack of previous convictions and that he does not have any immediate family in Ireland.
The judge said that Kumah had taken advantage of the girl’s youth and innocence.
The court heard he came here to work and that he financially supports his mother back in Ghana as his father passed away when he was young.
Letters were submitted to the court by his current partner and her mother outlining that he is of good character within their relationship and that he financially supports a child from a previous relationship.
Kumah’s sentence was reduced to 7 years with the final six months suspended.