Crime Week: Asylum seeker released on bail for raping woman and much more

This week, an asylum seeker was sentenced to prison in court for sexually assaulting a woman in Dublin, while another applicant for international protection was charged with raping a woman in Limerick.

A Longford man who bet with his heavily pregnant partner was also sentenced to prison, a former swimming coach was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a teenager 35 years ago and a Ghanaian man was sentenced to prison for raping a girl he met online.

Here is crime week.

Clare: Asylum seeker charged with raping woman in leisure centre

A 33-year-old asylum seeker has been charged with raping a woman at the Active Ennis Leisure Centre two years ago.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the alleged victim, required the assistance of an interpreter when he appeared before a sitting of Ennis District Court yesterday, the Sunday World reported.

The Sunday World reported that the man’s address was given as an IPAS centre in County Limerick.

The DDP has ordered that the man be brought before the Central Criminal Court for trial.

Bail arrangements have been made for the man, who now lives and works in Cork, according to his defence lawyer, who was willing to surrender his passport.

Former Irish national swimming coach convicted of sexually abusing a teenager.

A former Irish swimming coach has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a teenager 35 years ago.

78 years old Derry O’Rourke, of Virgina Road, Cavan, pleaded innocent before the Central Criminal Court and denied one count of rape and 15 counts of indecent touching relating to dates between October 1989 and June 1990.

The court heard that the victim was between 13 and 14 years old at the time.

Dublin People reported During the trial, the jury was instructed to acquit the former coach of the 15 charges.

After considering one count of rape and eleven counts of sexual assault, the jury found O’Rourke guilty and remanded him in custody pending sentencing on July 20.

The court heard that O’Rourke took the victim to a private room for muscle tests and asked her to raise her arms above her head while he stood behind her and touched her chest area for prolonged periods.

The victim said that at the time she did not know that what was done to her was wrong.

The victim stated that these incidents became more frequent and that she was once digitally raped by O’Rourke, who frequently said “good girl” and told her that the so-called “muscle checks” were necessary.

O’Rourke, a convicted rapist, has a previous record of sexual assault and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in January 1998 after pleading guilty to 29 counts at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

These charges of defilement, sexual assault and indecent contact involved 11 girls on dates between 1976 and 1992.

Dublin: Asylum seeker in Ireland sentenced to 5 days in prison for sexually assaulting women in public.

An asylum seeker who followed a young woman for about 30 minutes before sexually assaulting her in public has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison by Judge Martin Nolan.

26-year-old Algerian Adel Kerai had only arrived in Ireland five days before he sexually assaulted the woman who was waiting for her boyfriend in O’Connell Street.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Kerai, who has four previous convictions in the UK, is seeking international protection in Ireland because he says he faced persecution in Algeria because of his political beliefs.

The court heard that Adel was a “fan” of the young woman, who repeatedly tried to escape from him during the attack, but he was too strong for her to pull away from him when he put his arm around her shoulder.

Keria followed the woman out of the shop where she had been waiting at around 11pm and pursued her down Henry Street as she tried to free herself.

The assault culminated in Kerai attempting to kiss the 22-year-old woman, including putting his hand under her top, touching her genital area over her clothing and pressing his erect penis against her.

A passerby who noticed the young woman crying and two Gardaí who were patrolling the area on foot intervened.

Kerai pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault. His defense argued that at the time of the incident he was under the impression that the victim was interested in him.

Judge Nolan said the ordeal had been “very frightening” for the young woman and that Adel had “no right whatsoever” to behave in this way towards her.

The 27-month sentence was retroactively dated to December 2023, when the man was taken into custody.

Longford man who attacked and spat on his heavily pregnant girlfriend sentenced to prison in court.

Michael Purcell, 23, of McEoin Park, Farnagh, Longford, shouted at the mother of his child, calling her “nothing but filth” as he was led away by gardaí at a sitting of Longford District Criminal Court yesterday.

The Sunday World reported that Purcell also spat on the mother of his 18-month-old daughter during the session.

At the hearing, Judge Kenneth Connelly sentenced Purcell to two years in prison, with the final six months suspended for 12 months.

This sentence was imposed after Purcell pleaded guilty to assaulting the mother of his child when she was 37 weeks pregnant.

Because of his conduct in the courtroom, Purcell was summoned back before Judge Connelly this morning, who reinstated three of the six months of his original sentence, which had been suspended.

Purcell denied verbally abusing the mother of his child as she sat in the courtroom.

Purcell was sent to prison to serve a 21-month sentence.

Clare resident sentenced to six and a half years in prison for raping a young girl he met online.

Geoffry Kumah, 27, from Clare, was found guilty by a jury of raping a girl who was 17 at the time of the attack. 21 October 2018

Clare FM reported that Kumah from from Showgrounds Court, Drumbiggle Road, Ennis, Co ClareThe Anglican from Ghana was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for raping a girl he had befriended online.

In a victim statement, the woman, now in her twenties, said her brain “cannot comprehend that this kind of evil exists so close to home,” with the court hearing that Kumah had “robbed her of her innocence.”

On the day of the rape, the then teenager had met with Kumah and was willing to kiss her a few times, but had made it clear that she did not want to have sexual intercourse.

The court heard that the victim repeatedly told Kumah to stop and tried to push him away, but that she eventually just froze.

Judge Michael MacGrath imposed a sentence of eight years and six months, taking into account a number of mitigating circumstances, including that Kumah had no previous convictions and no immediate family in Ireland.

The judge said Kumah took advantage of the girl’s youth and innocence.

The court heard that he came here to work and that he supports his mother financially in Ghana as his father died when he was young.

His current partner and her mother have submitted letters to the court stating that he is of good character within their relationship and is financially supporting a child from a previous relationship.

Kumah’s sentence was reduced to seven years, with the final six months suspended.