Crime Week: Asylum seeker accused of raping woman released on bail, and more

This week, the courts saw one asylum seeker jailed for sexually assaulting a woman in Dublin, while another international protection seeker was charged with raping a woman in Limerick.

A Longford man who gambled with his heavily pregnant partner was also jailed, a former swimming coach was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a teenager 35 years ago, and a Ghanaian man was jailed for raping a girl he met online.

Here’s your week in crime.

Clare: Asylum seeker charged with raping woman at leisure centre

A 33-year-old asylum seeker has been charged with raping a woman at Active Ennis Leisure Centre two years ago.

The man, whose name cannot be revealed to protect the identity of the alleged victim, required the assistance of an interpreter when he appeared before a sitting of Ennis District Court yesterday, the Sunday World reports.

The Sunday World reported the man’s address was an IPAS centre in County Limerick.

The DDP has ordered that the man be sent to trial before the Central Criminal Court.

Bail arrangements have been made for the man, who now lives and works in Cork according to his defence lawyer, who has agreed to surrender his passport.

Former Irish international swimming coach sentenced for historic sexual assault of teenage girl.

A former Irish international swimming coach has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl 35 years ago.

78 years old Derry O’Rourke, of Virgina Road, Cavan, maintained his innocence at the Central Criminal Court, denying one count of rape and 15 counts of indecent assault on dates between October 1989 and June 1990.

The court heard the victim was aged between 13 and 14 at the time.

The people of Dublin reported That during the trial the jury was instructed to acquit the former coach of all 15 charges.

After considering one count of rape and 11 counts of sexual assault, the jury returned a guilty verdict for O’Rourke, who was remanded in custody to be sentenced on July 20.

The court heard O’Rourke took the victim into a private room to perform muscle checks and made her raise her arms above her head while he stood behind her and touched her chest area for prolonged periods.

The victim said that at the time she did not know that what was being done to her was wrong.

The victim said these incidents progressed and on one occasion she was digitally raped by O’Rourke, who frequently called her a “good girl” and told her that so-called “muscle tests” were necessary.

O’Rourke, a convicted rapist, has a history of sexual assault convictions and was jailed for 12 years in January 1998 after pleading guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 29 offences.

These charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault involved 11 girls dating between 1976 and 1992.

Dublin: Asylum seeker in Ireland spends 5 days in prison for sexually assaulting women in public.

An asylum seeker who followed a young woman for about 30 minutes before sexually assaulting her in public has been jailed for two years and three months by Judge Martin Nolan.

26 year old Algerian Adel Kerai had arrived in Ireland just five days before he sexually assaulted the woman who was waiting for her boyfriend on O’Connell Street.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Kerai, who has four previous convictions in the UK, is seeking international protection in Ireland because of the persecution he says he has been subjected to in Algeria due to his political beliefs.

The court heard Adel was “attracted” to the young woman who repeatedly tried to get away from him during the course of the assault, but was too strong for her to break free when he put his arm around her shoulder.

Keria followed the woman from the shop where he had been waiting for her outside at around 11pm and chased her down Henry Street as she tried to break free.

The assault culminated in Kerai attempting to kiss the 22-year-old woman, as well as putting his hand under her blouse, touching her genital area over her clothing and pressing his erect penis against her.

A passerby who noticed the girl crying intervened, as did two guards who were patrolling the area on foot.

Kerai pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and his defence claimed that at the time of the incident he was under the impression the victim was interested in him.

Judge Nolan said the ordeal had been “very frightening” for the young girl and that Adel had “no right” to behave as he did towards her.

The 27-month sentence was retroactive to December 2023, when the man was arrested.

A Longford man who assaulted his pregnant girlfriend and spat at her in court has been jailed.

Michael Purcell, 23, of McEoin Park, Farnagh, Longford, shouted at the mother of his child that she was “nothing but scum” as he was led away by gardaí at a sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.

The Sunday World reported that Purcell also spat on the mother of his 18-month-old daughter during the session.

At the hearing, Judge Kenneth Connelly gave Purcell a two-year sentence with the final six months suspended for 12 months.

The sentence was handed down in relation to a guilty plea entered by Purcell to assaulting the mother of his child while she was 37 weeks pregnant.

Due to his actions in the courtroom, Purcell was called back before Judge Connelly this morning, who reactivated 3 months of the 6 months that had been suspended from his initial sentence.

Purcell denied directing insults at the mother of his child as she sat in the public gallery of the court.

Purcell was sent to jail to serve a 21-month prison sentence.

A Clare resident has been jailed for six and a half years for raping a teenager he met online.

Clare resident Geoffry Kumah (27) was found guilty by a jury of raping a girl who was 17 at the time of the assault. October 21, 2018

Clare FM reported that Kumah of of Showgrounds Court, Drumbiggle Road, Ennis, Co ClareOriginally from Ghana, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for raping a girl he had befriended online.

In a victim impact statement, the woman, now in her twenties, said her brain ““I don’t understand that this kind of evil exists so close to home” with the court hearing in which Kumah “had stolen her innocence.”

On the day of the rape, the then-teenager had met Kumah and agreed to some kissing, but had indicated she did not want to have sex.

The court heard the victim had repeatedly asked Kumah to stop and tried to push him away from her, but eventually froze.

In handing down a sentence of eight years and six months, Judge Michael MacGrath took into account a number of mitigating factors, including Kumah’s lack of previous convictions and the fact that he has no immediate family in Ireland.

The judge said Kumah had taken advantage of the girl’s youth and innocence.

The court heard that he came here to work and that he financially supports his mother in Ghana, as his father died when he was young.

His current partner and her mother submitted letters to the court in which they emphasized that he has a good character in their relationship and that he financially supports a son from a previous relationship.

Kumah’s sentence was reduced to seven years, with the final six months suspended.