Women’s groups encourage marital rape victims to come forward

WOMEN’S rights groups have said they hope more women will come forward to report rape by a partner after a Sligo man was yesterday jailed for six years for raping his wife.

The 49-year-old labourer is the first man in the State’s history to be convicted of marital rape by a jury.

Welcoming the sentence, the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI) said it would send out a very clear message to society that rape within marriage is a serious criminal offence.