I was numb & broken ..I felt like I'd died inside

Woman tells of pain as 'monster' landlord who raped her gets 7yrs

- OLIVIA KELLEHER

A 62-YEAR-OLD landlord who plied his female tenant with alcohol and then raped her has been jailed for seven years.

Michael Paul O'Leary of Four Winds, Ballyarthur, Fermoy, Co Cork was convicted in February this year of raping a woman in her 30s in 2022.

The victim, Lorita O'Donoghue, waived her right to anonymity in order to facilitate naming O'Leary.

After the sentencing, Ms O'Donoghue said the criminal justice system is "tough on the victim" but people who find themselves in her situation should "take courage" from the outcome of her court case.

The trial heard O'Leary had rented a property in Fermoy to Ms O'Donoghue and her fiancé and lived adjacent to them.

On May 28, 2022 O'Leary texted Ms O'Donoghue asking her if would she like to share a drink as he had opened a bottle of wine.

Having shared a drink, the man poured a brandy for her and then kept topping up her glass. Ms O'Donoghue had not consented to the filling up of her glass.

Ms O'Donoghue passed out and when she awoke her clothes had been taken off and the father-of-three was having sex with her.