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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
‘It will haunt me until the day I die': Man jailed for raping pregnant partner
A man who raped his pregnant partner in their bed six years ago was working for a local authority until he was taken into custody earlier this month, a court has heard. The 39-year-old man's partner managed to set her phone to record during the rape in which she could be heard saying she was not consenting, the Central Criminal Court heard. She was five months pregnant at the time. The man pleaded guilty to one count of rape on October 13th, 2019, at an address in the midlands after the woman gave evidence at his trial in Tullamore earlier this year. He was jailed for seven years on Tuesday. Until his sentence hearing last week when he was taken into custody, the man had been employed by a local authority, the court heard. He has one previous conviction for the sale and supply of drugs. Sentencing him, Mr Justice David Keane said the recording of the rape, which was played at trial, was 'distressing to listen to'. He noted the woman could be heard saying 'no' repeatedly, asking the man to stop and crying during and after the rape. He commended her for the 'presence of mind' and 'ingenuity' she showed in recording her ordeal, noting she was an 'inspirational example of courage and resilience'. The judge said the offence took place in the woman's home, in her own bed and was carried out by an intimate partner. 'What should have been a place of safety and security was transformed in an instance to the place of a markedly brutish personal violation'. He sentenced the man to eight years in prison and suspended the final year of the sentence on a number of conditions. A local sergeant garda told the court that on the night in question, the man and his partner were socialising and he started drinking heavily. On the way home, he started acting erratically and the woman left him in fear and made her own way home, the court heard. [ CCTV shows Tom Niland entering shop two hours before men allegedly broke into his home Opens in new window ] She was awoken by the man at around 5am when he got into their bed, pinned her down and raped her. During the attack, the woman managed to access her phone camera and press record. The court heard that nothing could be seen in the video, but the woman could be heard crying and saying 'you're hurting me'. Afterwards, the woman said she cried in the shower and kept tapping her tummy until she felt her baby move. The woman went to gardaí the following year after the birth of their child and reported the rape. When the audio recording was played to the man after he was arrested, he said, 'That doesn't even sound like me,' and denied raping the woman. The man was granted access to their child and has a weekly visit in the woman's parents' house. In her victim impact statement, the woman said the matter had been hanging over her for years as the case was delayed twice in the courts. During this time, she said she was in constant fear of the man. She said she had seen him more often in the last couple of months since he pleaded guilty at trial, and that 'even after everything that happened' the man was granted visitation rights to their child. [ Three sisters sexually abused by brother 'deeply disappointed' over 'leniency' of eight-year prison term Opens in new window ] She said he had shown no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused her, and she outlined anxiety, nightmares and sleeplessness since the attack. 'It will haunt me until the day I die,' she said. Michael Bowman SC, defending, said his client was under the influence of a considerable amount of alcohol at the time. He has been in a new relationship for the past five years and this woman was in court to support him, the court heard. A probation report before the court noted the man is at a moderate risk of reoffending.
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
PGA Tour star's caddie blocked from travelling to UK for The Open after decade-long prison sentence
HARRIS ENGLISH'S caddie could be absent for The Open as he has still not received his UK visa. Eric Larson is facing difficulty obtaining a visa because he once served prison time over a drug conviction. 3 3 English is competing in the Scottish Open this week - a week before the final major of the season takes place at Royal Portrush in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. He is using a different caddie, Joe Etter, at the tournament and he could be without his right-hand man if Larson cannot get his hands on a visa. Larson, who served ten years in prison for drug offences before his release in 2006, requires an exemption to the UK's new Electronic Travel Authority rules. All US travellers to the country now require an ETA visa, which Larson applied for two weeks ago. But he has not heard anything back after his form was denied - grounds for refusal include an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offense in the UK or overseas for which they served 12 months or more in prison. Larson said of the ordeal: "I just want to get to the British Open to help Harris." English, the world No19, said a letter is "sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere" as Larson awaits an exemption. He said: "I guess the United Kingdom doesn't look highly on his past. "I didn't understand how complicated the process was. Someone could see this guy had something in his past 30 years ago, he's been fine the last 20. "How long does this stay with him?" Xander Schauffele jokes he was 'trending towards an alcoholic,' but he's happy to be back in Scotland English said multiple letters have been written to vouch for the caddie, including one from the office of the US Ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens. He added: "They [Stephens' office] wrote a letter. The R&A wrote a letter. The PGA Tour wrote a letter. A charity event Eric works for in the States wrote a letter," English said. "It's not for a lack of effort. I think it could be sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere." English could have a tricky situation on his hands as his stand-in caddie Etter will partner Davis Thompson at The Open. He said: "Joe was my Plan B. Now we're going to have to get a new Plan B."
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Former NZ Warriors star Manu Vatuvei moving on from drug conviction
The Kiwi league legend was convicted for importing methamphetamine from India. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Former NZ Warriors star Manu Vatuvei says he will carry the shame of his drug conviction for the rest of his life. While Vatuvei is ready to move on from his time in prison, he understands the public is much less forgiving. In a brutal fall from grace, the Kiwi league legend was convicted for importing $200,000 of methamphetamine from India in 2022. He was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison, but was paroled under special conditions in May 2023. Once adored by the New Zealand public, 'The Beast' forfeited years of goodwill built up through his recordbreaking feats, as well as winning Dancing with the Stars in 2019. "I don't wish what I went through upon anyone," he said. "Bouncing back from where I was before, it was hard. "You have some good people that will be there to support me, and there will be those people that dislike me because of what I did, but that's part of it. "I take ownership of what I did and I'm accountable for it, and now I'm changing my life again and rebuilding from the start. I've been there before, rebuilding myself, so I can do it again." Vatuvei said he continued to carry the weight of his decisions. "I'm ready to move forward, but it'll always be on me, everything that I've done. At the end of the day, I just use that as fuel to make me work harder to rebuild again. "All the hate that I get, I'll just use that as energy to show that I'm doing something good." Vatuvei is trying to use his experience to encourage other rugby league players to speak out, when struggling with mental health. He admitted having suicidal thoughts, as his name was dragged through the mud. Manu Vatuvei at RUNIT Auckland, Trusts Stadium. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport "We don't show how hurt we are or if we've got an injury, we just keep playing. We don't want to show the opponent that we're hurt, then they'll keep targeting us, so we don't want to be that weak link in there." He implored players not to suffer in silence. "If there's something wrong, you will have someone there that you could talk to and support you. I did, but I was old school way, just 'get over it and keep moving forward'. "Eventually, it just got worse and it caught up with me." Vatuvei has used his time after prison working alongside Dave Letele's Buttabean Motivation (BBM) team. "I help a lot of people through training and, for what we do with David, I owe him a lot. He never looked down at me or anything. "He just took me under his wing and gave me the opportunity, but then it was up to me to work my ass off. He just opened the door, and then I just had to walk in and make the move. "Now I'm just working hard and giving back to our community again, sharing my story with the people I train, because they go through a lot with mental battles. "I've been through mental battles too, so I'm just happy that I can show support in that way." Manu Vatuvei is trying to help other footy players struggling with mental health. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport Vatuvei has also engaged in public speaking, particularly to youth about taking wrong paths. "I'm just trying to rebuild and find opportunities elsewhere... just do what's given to me and hopefully do something positive." Vatuvei did try to get back into rugby last year, but his body would not allow it. "I've been away from the game for a while now. I tried to play some grassroots footy for my club and I just kept getting injured. "I had hamstring problems and then I dislocated my shoulder on my last game, so it just says that my body has had enough, now it's just time for me to move on with life. "I was still hanging onto it, I still had hopes, but after that, it was time to hang it up and focus on my family and focus on something to provide for them." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
