B&B rapist fails to overturn conviction

A man convicted of raping a guest at his bed-and-breakfast in County Sligo has failed in an appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal. Thomas Wymbs, aged 68, was proprietor of Atlantic Haven B&B near Mount Temple when the offence occurred between 22 and 23 February 2020. He maintained the encounter was consensual. A jury found him guilty following trial at the Central Criminal Court in February 2024. Justice Mary Ellen Ring sentenced him to seven and a half years imprisonment, with the final eighteen months suspended, in July 2024. Wymbs' legal team argued the trial judge erred in refusing two defence requests regarding prosecution closing remarks and expert evidence on alcohol's effects. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, delivering the Court of Appeal's judgment, found no deficiency in the trial charge and rejected both grounds of appeal, stating the jury faithfully applied the law.