By Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi
A 62-year-old Cork landlord has been sentenced to seven years in prison in the Republic of Ireland for raping a young woman tenant after plying her with brandy until she passed out.
Michael Paul O’Leary, of Four Winds, Ballyarthur, Fermoy, was convicted by a jury earlier this year at the Central Criminal Court for raping Lorita O’Donoghue at a property she shared with her fiancé, whom she was renting from O’Leary. The attack occurred on May 28, 2022, while her fiancé was away for the weekend.
Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford described the offence as a serious breach of trust, highlighting that O’Leary was both the landlord and a neighbour. She said it was clear Ms O’Donoghue was visibly intoxicated — a state that O’Leary exploited to commit the assault.
Ms O’Donoghue had accepted what she believed was a friendly invitation for a nightcap at O’Leary’s nearby home. She recounted how he repeatedly topped up her glass with brandy, causing her to lose consciousness. She later awoke to find O’Leary raping her. Initially disoriented, she thought it might be her fiancé — but quickly realised otherwise and tried to push him off. Despite her resistance, he continued until he was finished.
While O’Leary had no previous criminal record and maintained his innocence throughout the trial, the judge noted that he was not entitled to any sentencing reduction that a guilty plea might have brought. She set the headline sentence at eight years, reducing it to seven due to his prior good behaviour, but ruled out suspending any part of the term.
In a powerful victim impact statement, Ms O’Donoghue described how the rape had devastated her life:
“Since the night I was raped, my entire world was turned upside down. My life as I knew it was over. For almost three years I have been fighting to get my life back together. What you did to me was an utter violation of my mind, my body, and my soul.”
She added that the experience of attending the sexual assault clinic in the hours after the attack left her feeling like “a corpse.”
Following the sentencing, Ms O’Donoghue, supported by friends and family, said she felt justice had been served.
“I feel very thankful to the judge. I feel justice has been done.”
She encouraged other survivors of sexual violence to speak out, assuring them they will be believed. Ms O’Donoghue also thanked the jury, Det Garda Rachel McGrath of the North Cork Protective Service Unit, Mary Crilly of the Cork Sexual Violence Centre, and her loved ones for their unwavering support.
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