"Arrogant" double rapist fails in appeal

A man convicted of raping two women at his Sligo apartment has failed in his appeal against conviction at the Court of Appeal. Clement Limen, aged 47, of North Court, Quayside, Sligo town, was found guilty by jury at the Central Criminal Court of the offences committed on 2 June 2014. The trial heard that Limen had invited the women, lifelong friends in their 30s, to his flat following a chance meeting at a nightclub during a bank holiday weekend. Evidence indicated that after consuming drinks prepared by Limen, both women lost consciousness and were subsequently assaulted. Limen denied the charges, claiming consensual contact with one woman and denying contact with the other. Mr Justice Paul Coffey imposed a sentence of seven-and-a-half years in December 2017. Limen's appeal centred on claims regarding the trial judge's rulings on evidence and detention procedures. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, found no grounds for intervention and dismissed the appeal.