RTÉ journo given 15months for sexually assaulting woman as she slept

anglesorangles

Do people think the sentence is fair? I followed the case. I think it is about right. Probably on the lower end of a sexual assault case but i do think a custodial sentence was required.

EoineyM

Deleted

Gusser09

The lad will probably serve 9 months. It's a strange one though. I don't think it should ever have gotten to court but at the same time he was convicted. I think 8 months is pretty low for a sexual conviction. There ye have it though.

EoineyM

In my view the sentence was harsh. They had engaged in consensual sexual activity the night before, he was trying to get things going again. He stopped as soon as she told him to. He called around the next day when he realised she was upset. I would not have thought that these are the actions of a sex offender. The judge confirmed that he was previously of good character. When you see in the news the same day that a Garda gets just 3 years for physically and mentally abusing his partner for 2 1/2 years and hear about repeat offenders for all sorts of crimes regularly getting off, a 15 month custodial sentence seems harsh

El_Duderino 09

This just shows the importance of consent. Discussing consent is really important. If this guy was told about Discussing consent ans d the consequences of wrongly assuming consent, then neither she nor he would be in their current situations.

If he didnt mean to harm her It's a tragedy. Be both harmed someone he didn't intend to harm and has to pay the consequences. And still the usual posters will oppose any kind of reasonable discussion of consent as part of sex education.

T-Maxx

Very harsh sentence in my opinion - would've been less had he killed her with his car.

Motivator

She woke up in the morning, told him no, he accepted. She went back to sleep and he dropped her home that night. She couldn’t have felt that unsafe.

She agreed to go back to his gaff, they had consensual sexual activity. Now she gets to ruin this guys life and remain anonymous the entire time? A joke. Poor fella.

This can happen to any man at any time and it’s wrong. There was a young chap that lived in the apartment just across from me in college. He was fairly vocal about fancying this youngone that lived down the corridor and at any sessions he’d ask her for a kiss etc. she agreed one night and agreed to “ride him once”. A few days later she filed a rape claim. Plenty people were in the apartment that night and saw everything and if it wasn’t for them he’d have been in very serious trouble. The poor lad was totally innocent and despite charges being dropped, he had the tag of being a rapist for a long time after. He changed college because of it.

"Hey, are you awake?"

4 words.

DellyBelly

Can't belive this went to court...guys reputation is ruined...he started she said no so he stopped..is there more to it then this?

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119389970#Comment_119389970

He'd have got the same if he were in Isis.

Princess Calla

I honestly think it's very harsh.

They had already had consensual sexual relations before she fell asleep in his bed. Not like she was a platonic guest sleeping in the spare room.

I've certainly experienced similar and at no point did I consider it an assault. If I felt the guy was getting abit too carried away and I wasn't in the mood I got up and got dressed, called a taxi and went home.

She was a friend of a friend of his, the story always felt like an American revenge film.

I'm glad I'm not a single man right now tbh.

anglesorangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390043#Comment_119390043

He did get on top of her and touch her breasts while she was asleep. Im not sure if you missed that part of the original story. He himself also admitted guilt. Harsh end result all the same ruined career/life. But an incredibly idiotic act during a 1night stand.

anglesorangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390074#Comment_119390074

It was the fact that he started while she was asleep. Thats the kicker really and the most pertinent fact with regard to the actual law.

Jequ0n

Wasn’t there already a thread on this some months back?

anglesorangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390172#Comment_119390172

There was but it said it was closed. The sentencing was out today so it adds to the debate.

StevenToast

There was definitely a thread on this previously.....i commented that there would be alot of men sweating around the country based on the facts of this case....if this is sexual assault......we have alot of sexual deviants in this country....

A year after the incident, she decided that she was assaulted....

Going forward you will have to get a signed and written consensual sex agreement before getting down to business....maybe have a solicitor there to witness it aswell just in case....

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390207#Comment_119390207

You reckon people get up on sleeping women regularly?

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390074#Comment_119390074

Shouldn’t have tried anything while she was sleeping then. It’s very, very basic.

And before any idiot starts, the trust built up through months and years of conversations within a couple is completely different to two people who met up randomly one night.

Zero surprise that some people believe men can just do whatever they want though.

anglesorangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390207#Comment_119390207

Or Mr Toast , ive a fairly far out idea but try stick with me. Dont hop on top of women and feel them up when they are asleep. Or yeah go with the solicitor letter haha

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390069#Comment_119390069

Exactly!

but no, that’s too much of a turn off or whatever sh*t excuse the usual suspects have for this.

Homelander

Groping your one-night stand while they sleep to try and entice them into more is not OK, but this case does seem extremely peculiar with the details and timelines involved.

15 months is a huge sentence for the context of the incident, there's people who commit actual violent sexual assaults (not to mention non-sexual assaults and even manslaughter) that get less time.

I also think the victim impact statement seems very at odds with the actual incident.

It strikes me as an odd case and I personally think there's something much more to it behind the scenes regarding the victim and the accused.

cheese sandwich

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390247#Comment_119390247

There’s a big difference between excusing his behaviour and thinking that 15 months imprisonment is very harsh.

As others have pointed out, the comparison with the Garda who carried on a reign of terror against his ex for years and who was sentenced today to 3 1/2 years is pretty stark

Multipass

The same sentence as going off to join ISIS with the intention of bring terror and death to innocent people. No problems at all with the justice system here…

Burt Renaults

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119389970#Comment_119389970

Not if he deliberately killed her with his car. He admitted to deliberately getting on top of her and feeling her up while she was asleep. It's really uncomplicated, and not something that any man with half a brain should worry about - just wake her up first and ask her.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/former-rte-journalist-who-sexually-assaulted-sleeping-woman-jailed-for-15-months-41868143.html

.,

Esel

Link dump, nice. Any opinion yourself, OP?

JP Liz V1

Again our justice system fails

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390408#Comment_119390408

That Garda’s sentence was way too lenient, I agree.

Doesn’t mean this sentence is harsh. He climbed on top of her and put his hands where they shouldn’t have been while she was sleeping. If you’re going to do that then you need to suck it up and accept the consequences.

Stupid, stupid man, and I would really question anybody who feels sorry for him because he worked in a field where the issue of consent has been brought up countless times and he still did it. You’d want to be a stupid dope to knowingly do something like that.

There has to be more to this, and how did it take her 12 months to make a complaint

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390758#Comment_119390758

Does it ****. Nobody has any right to do what he did.

Stupid fool. Imagine climbing on top of someone, grabbing their tits all while they are sleeping and thinking you’ll get away with it.

Comer1

I don't think that climate change will destroy the human race, it will the fear of engaging in any type of sexual activity.

Thelonious Monk

It's wrong but the sentance is harsh by Irish justice standards compared to some of the nonsense that goes on in court. He was up front about everything it's bad but 15 months ffs.

Earlier today a guy was found guilty of careless driving in Ballsbridge which killed a 19 year old on a bike. He got his licence removed for 9 months and no custodial sentence.

lmao10

Imagine this thread if he was an immigrant :)

DPP wouldnt entertain it if the genders were reversed

cap.in.hand.

Maybe it was her first time being fully intimate with someone and it was all too much for her to handle all at once...she may have needed more lead in time or be in a relationship...rather than a 1 nite stand

Patrick2010

His problem was being too honest, otherwise it was her word against him. They were both willingly intimate the night before, he tried to continue it the next morning and she said no so he stopped. She left and then a year later went to the guards and complained. Apparently this is worth 18 months jail while random gropers on the street,clubs etc are either not charged or get suspended sentences.

cap.in.hand.

She must've really despised him wanting his name out in public.. otherwise it would have been another closed court case

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390729#Comment_119390729

Fair enough.

The proper sentence here should be a lot of community service and requirements to take part in a sexual education course. What he did was wrong, but it does not warrant a 15 month jail sentence.

kerryjack

That's the way it is now he should have known better and he has to live with the consequences.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390914#Comment_119390914

The point is that he groped her breasts when she was asleep - when he didn't have consent from her to do so!

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390950#Comment_119390950

Most victims of such a crime despise the perpetrators.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390965#Comment_119390965

Few hours earlier they were probably kissing the faces of each other with a passion..for it to turn so sour in such a short time is unusual in the circumstances

Patrick2010

https://www.thejournal.ie/sexual-assault-3-5605157-Nov2021/

suspended sentence. I think in today’s case the judge was unduly swayed by the complainants testimony that she felt suicidal for years afterwards. Another girl would have swatted off the guys hand and said go away I’m sleepy and that would have been the end of it. My 2 cent worth and I’m out of any more comments, I’ve stuck my neck out enough!

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119391008#Comment_119391008

So them kissing means he can do whatever he likes while she sleeps?

I genuinely believe a large number of people questioning this have never had a healthy relationship.

pjohnson

Strange the courts have judged both him and Lisa Smith as deserving the same sentence.

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390950#Comment_119390950

Didn’t hear anything about it on RTÉ. I wonder why?

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119391038#Comment_119391038

It was on rte TV/radio when convicted few months ago

TheValeyard

Does seem like there is more missing from this story.

iffandonlyif

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119390729#Comment_119390729

There’s a weird culture in this forum of demanding that the OP present an opinion, the consequence of which is that the thread is biased from the start. Why the hell do you not just let the thread develop naturally, or ignore it?

SunnySundays

You can't touch people when they are asleep.

How on earth does this still need to be explained to so many people? He has no right to touch her, even if she was happy for him to do so the previous night, she was awake then and could consent. She didn't have a choice in the matter when asleep.

Why the hell do so many people not understand consent?

bucketybuck

He got a longer prison sentence than the female teacher who had sex with a minor.

God help kids growing up today, they don't stand a chance.