A man who was found guilty by a jury in Wexford last August of several counts of rape, assault and of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to his then wife, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The 41-year-old Nigerian man received the sentence for the repeated rape and abuse of his wife, which led to her miscarriage. The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his then-wife, was found guilty by a jury in Wexford last August of eight counts of rape, four counts of assault, and two counts of threatening to kill or cause serious harm.
Yesterday, the central criminal court in Dublin heard that the man physically assaulted her, blackmailed her, and threatened to harm both her and her sister when they attempted to end the
marriage by reclaiming her bride price, thereby ending the marriage. During their six-year marriage, the abuse escalated to extreme acts of violence and humiliation, with the man frequently using
threats to prevent her from seeking help. The court was told he manipulated her with threats of exposing her efforts to secure residency for her brother, whose name was on their child’s birth
certificate.
Despite the severity of his actions, he continues to deny his crimes and remains at high risk of re-offending, according to a probation report. Alongside his prison sentence, he is to undergo two years of post-release supervision for rehabilitation and monitoring.
