Soccer player raped woman at knifepoint in her West Cork bedroom

Tiago Damasceno Sousa also made video recordings of the attack and threatened to kill victim's parents

The accused held a knife to the victim and told her he would kill her and her parents, the court heard. File picture: Larry Cummins 

A former professional soccer player from Brazil based in West Cork raped a 19-year-old woman in her own bedroom at knifepoint, while making video-recordings and threatening to kill her and her parents.

Tiago Damasceno Sousa, age 39, who was living in West Cork for approximately 18 months before the rape on March 29, 2024, pleaded guilty to carrying out the attack. The facts of the case were outlined on Friday at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

The victim, who was 19 at the time, told the court she wondered how a man with a daughter her own age could carry out a crime like this: “No matter how many showers I had it felt like his fingerprints were on my body permanently. If someone was to touch me, even a hug, it terrified me.”

Detective Garda Áine O’Regan, of the Garda Protective Services Unit, said the injured party told gardaí that morning about being raped and threatened at knifepoint by Sousa, whom she had never spoken to before, between 7am and 9am in her own home.

“He held a knife to her and raped her on numerous occasions that morning. She woke to find him leaning over her in her bed at 7am. He had a knife in his right hand. He covered her mouth with his left hand. He told her to shut up or he would kill her and her mum and her dad. He had the knife in the air moving it back and forth. The blade never touched her. He was on top of her.

“She knew something bad was going to happen. She decided to trick him to leave her alone — she agreed to have sex the following day. But he kept slapping her in the face, saying, ‘No, you are going to do it now.’ She agreed to give him oral sex. He was still holding the knife,” Det Garda O’Regan testified.

Recorded attack on his mobile phone

In the period that followed, the defendant performed oral sex on the injured party and he also penetrated her a number of times from different positions, recording some of what occurred on his mobile phone and repeatedly making the death threats.

He used Google Translate on his phone at various times and told her she could not tell anyone until he had gone back to Brazil. It was later discovered by gardaí that he had his bags packed and had a flight to Brazil booked for the following day and a return flight back to Ireland a month later.

“When she said 'no video' to him, he told her to shut up. He slapped her on the face because he believed she was not showing pleasure… He kept apologising to her. He said he was studying Irish law and had proof that she was enjoying it,” Det Garda O’Regan said.

After he left her home, the injured party could hear him crying. She did not know what way he would react if he saw her leaving, so she climbed out a downstairs window and went to a friend and the friend's father. They brought her to the gardaí.

Gardaí arrested the accused later that day at his home and found that he had a number of relevant videos on his phone from that morning, including one lasting 52 seconds that recorded sexual intercourse.

The victim said on Friday: “It started off as me not wanting to be in school and pretty much around people, to sleepless nights, constant nightmares that I still remember and still have. I've a fear of being alone (at home). I couldn't sleep alone for a long time or without a background noise.

“I began going to therapy hoping it would help my trauma but it didn't, it was just more of a reminder. I've (self-harmed) because it felt like his fingerprints were still there and because that would numb the pain I was feeling on the inside but that didn't help either.

Other days I was fully convinced I should've died that day by being stabbed and I would go into an instant panic attack from the thought of it.

“When he gets out of prison eventually, he will be able to get on with his life but this will stick with my forever and will always be in the back of my mind. He done this in the place that was supposed to be my comfort space and safe place but he completely ruined it for me. That was the house I grew up in and now it's in my nightmares. No one should ever have to fear for their safety in their own home.

“I hope you realise how serious this crime is and how much it can really destroy someone's life. I hope you never forgive yourself or forget how much your actions have affected someone. I hope you never feel okay or comfortable with yourself ever again.”

Defence senior counsel Jane Hyland said the accused had a significant amount of alcohol that night and that morning, he was apologising to the victim even during the incident, she heard him crying afterwards and later at interview he was crying and upset.

Ms Hyland said he had shown remorse. “He has no relevant previous conviction. This appears to be an act of madness on this occasion.” 

Ms Hyland said the accused had a good work history and was previously a professional soccer player, playing for a Brazilian club called America Mineiro, a Serie 2 team based in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford will sentence him on February 27.