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Woman left with "regular flashbacks" after husband's uncle sexually assaulted her as she slept
Дата публикации: 06-08-2026 14:46:05
"She now wakes multiple times in the night and she gets regular flashbacks. She says she even questions whether she is to blame for what happened to her."
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"She now wakes multiple times in the night and she gets regular flashbacks. She says she even questions whether she is to blame for what happened to her."
15:46, 06 Aug 2026
A 63-year old man who sexually assaulted his nephew's wife as she lay sleeping beside her child and husband was handed a 30-month sentence today.
The term was divided equally between prison and supervised licence and was imposed at Belfast Crown Court.
The abuser, who can't be named to protect the identity of his victim, appeared via a videolink with HMP Maghaberry and was told he will spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders Register.
He stood trial and was convicted by a jury last November of two counts of sexual assault which occurred in the early hours of July 15, 2023.
The defendant is the uncle of the victim's husband and was invited to attend a social event in the couple's home.
Alcohol was consumed at the get-together and whilst the victim said she did consume some drink, she said she didn't have much as there were children in the house.
She went to bed at around 1.30am, her husband came to bed later and their young son was sleeping in between them.
The victim recalled being woken from her sleep by her husband's uncle sexually assaulting her as she lay on her side.
She asked him 'what are you doing?' then told him to get out and after this, he left the bedroom.
She recalled being frightened, she was unable to wake her husband and she didn't want to wake her child from his sleep.
As she lay crying and terrified in bed, he then sent her a WhatsApp message saying 'where is everyone? I'm down here all alone.'
After disclosing to the PSNI what had happened to her, the defendant was arrested and following his denials, he subsequently stood trial and was convicted of two counts of sexual assault.
During today's sentencing, Judge Catherine Chasemore said she had read a statement written by the victim.
Saying the woman was "understandably affected by what happened to her", Judge Chasemore said: "She has bought a new bed and moved rooms in an attempt to sleep properly but is still having trouble getting to sleep.
"She now wakes multiple times in the night and she gets regular flashbacks. She says she even questions whether she is to blame for what happened to her."
Revealing the victim did not attend today's proceedings, the Judge continued: "I hope she is told by the officer in the case the court notes that this is a feeling that victims of sexual offences often experience.
"I want to make it very clear to the complainant that she was not at all to blame for what happened to her.
"She was in her own home and entitled to feel safe in her bed after making the defendant - a relative - welcome in her home.
"The defendant is the only person at fault here and I hope that she is, in some time, able to recover from the trauma inflicted upon her."
Turning to the defendant, Judge Chasemore noted that despite the jury's guilty verdicts, he continues to maintain his innocence.
This, the Judge said, demonstrated a lack of remorse.
She spoke of several aggravating factors in the case, including the "degrading" nature of the sexual assaults and the vulnerability of woman targeted.
Judge Chasemore added: "While she'd not had much to drink, it's hard to think of a more vulnerable victim than a woman sleeping in her own bed next to her husband and child.
"She was utterly at his mercy when the defendant entered the room."
As well as imposing the jail term and placing the defendant on the Sex Offenders Register for life, Judge Chasemore also made him the subject of a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
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