A Carlow man who habitually raped and assaulted his wife, subjecting her to “25 years of hell”, during which he would break into their house in the middle of the night and rape her, has been jailed for life.
Imposing sentence today, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said the victim was subjected to a “litany of physical and sexual abuse” throughout her marriage.
She said the victim impact statement conveyed the “unending nightmare” the woman had endured and the “vast damage” caused to her by her husband.
The judge said the court recognised the immensity of the woman’s suffering and the vast damage that her husband “wilfully and sadistically” caused to her.
The 67-year-old man had pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 12 sample counts including nine of rape, two of sexual assault and one of assault causing harm.
All of the offending took place at the family home on dates between 1991 and 2015. He can’t be named to protect the victim’s anonymity.
