Call for urgent marital rape law review

There needs to be an urgent review of marital rape law and legal guidelines after a sentence for an offender was reduced on appeal, say Women’s Aid and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

The organisations made separate calls after the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence of a husband convicted for raping his wife. The term was reduced from 12 years, with two years suspended, to 10 years, with 18 months suspended — effectively cutting his sentence by 18 months.

The defendant was also convicted of assault causing serious harm and threatening to kill his wife as well as assaulting her mother at their home.