For the first time in the State’s history a man has been convicted of raping his wife. He will be sentenced by the Central Criminal Court on October 25th next.
The jury of eight men and four women returned the guilty verdict after deliberating for about four hours following a four-day trial.
The 46-year-old Sligo builder had pleaded not guilty to raping and attempting to rape his 36-year-old wife on July 21st, 1997 at their house in Sligo. He was found not guilty of the second charge.
Mr Justice Paul Carney told the jury after its verdict was heard that the case had taken so long to reach a trial because the man had earlier pleaded guilty and then changed the plea to not guilty at his sentence hearing on July 14th, 2000.
Mr Justice Carney thanked the jury for its deliberations and excused them from further jury duties for the next five years. He ordered a victim impact report to be prepared for the sentence hearing on October 25th next and remanded the man on bail until then.