Young men must understand that ‘no means no’, High Court judge says

Patrick McLoughlin, aged 35, of Torboy, Moydow, County Longford, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment, with the final eighteen months suspended, following his conviction for sexual assault at the Central Criminal Court in Castlebar, County Mayo. A jury found him guilty in March 2022 of sexually assaulting a woman in Galway city centre in August 2017. Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed strict conditions on the suspension, including engagement with the Probation Service. The judge remarked during sentencing that young men must understand that refusal of consent is unambiguous, criticising what she described as a widespread lack of understanding of the word "no" in sexual offence cases. McLoughlin maintains his innocence despite the jury verdict. His associate, Karl Reilly, was separately convicted of rape and sentenced to seven years with eighteen months suspended. The victim provided a statement describing ongoing trauma from the incident.