Doctor jailed for rape, coercive control and assault of wife

By Sonya McLean

A doctor has been jailed for 10 years for the rape, coercive control and assault of his wife over three years.

The 46-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges of assault causing harm but had denied two charges of rape and one of coercive control.

He was convicted of these charges following a trial at Sligo Central Criminal Court earlier this year.

The sentence hearing was also held in Sligo.

The court heard that the couple met in Sudan and were married in 2010 and later went on to have three children. The family moved to Ireland in 2017.

The woman did not qualify to work in Ireland as a doctor, and she stayed in the home to bring up the children, while the accused worked in various regional hospitals. The family moved around according to the man’s work.

The woman told the jury that her husband used “bad words” in speaking to her and also spent periods of time ignoring her, not allowing her to leave the house alone and imposing a degree of financial control over her.

She began to experience anxiety and panic attacks due to his behaviour towards her. He would also demean her and tell her she was “good for nothing except cooking and cleaning”.

The rape counts relate to two incidents between 2018 and 2019. In the first instance, it was during Ramadan and she was fasting. He said he wanted sex and she said she could not have sex with him, but he pushed her onto their bed and raped her.

In the second incident of rape, the woman said her husband told her he needed to “practice sex”. She said “no” and told him she didn’t want to have sex, but he continued and raped her.

The incidents of assault were also outlined to the court, including on occasion when he attacked his wife in front of their children, once using a laptop to beat her, which he claimed she had broken.

Another time he punched her forehead after she asked him to take out the household rubbish.

On a third occasion, he bit her hand during an argument over money.

In the final incident of assault, she made her way to the local garda station, but the accused followed her.

Gardaí saw an interaction between them and spoke to the woman, but she hid her hand and told officers she was happy to return home.

The case was later referred to Tusla, and she ultimately reported it to the gardaí. The man was arrested but he denied all allegations, including those that he later pleaded guilty to.

A victim impact report outlined that she had made sacrifices in order to marry the man and she had made every effort to preserve their family unit.

She said the abuse and rapes had an impact on her self-esteem and confidence and his behaviour towards her led to her experiencing panic attacks and anxiety. She said the offences happened somewhere where she should have felt safe.

Judge Sean Gillane noted that the man has been suspended from working as a doctor since July 2024.

He took into account that the offending behaviour spanned a significant period of time and the rape offences occurred within the context of coercive control and a violent environment.

Justice Gillane said there was a serious breach of trust involved and noted that their children witnessed some of the violence. He set a headline sentence of 12 years in prison.

He said he would take into account the man’s work history and lack of previous convictions before he imposed a jail term of 10 years.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.