Man with 'significant intellectual impairment' raped woman sleeping in own bed

A 32-year-old man from Castlefin, County Donegal, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment following his conviction for rape at the Central Criminal Court. The man pleaded guilty to entering an apartment through an unlocked door and sexually assaulting a sleeping woman in October 2016. The woman woke during the assault and the perpetrator fled after a struggle. DNA evidence linked him to the offence. Mr Justice Alex Owens noted the man's significant intellectual impairment in sentencing, reducing the headline sentence from ten years to four years. The judge rejected the defendant's claims that he believed the woman was engaged in sex work, describing such assertions as demonstrating lack of remorse. A post-release supervision period of four years was also imposed. The victim provided a statement describing lasting psychological impact and altered behaviour in her own home.