The woman, who had recently arrived in Ireland, spoke no English and knew no one else in the country, remained in her room for two days after the initial assault until she was subsequently raped.

The Central Criminal Court heard she then ran out of the apartment and sought help from a passerby, typing “I was raped” into Google Translate on her phone.

The 65-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the woman’s identity, pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman on October 19, 2022, and raping her on October 21, 2022. He has no previous convictions.

Passing sentence yesterday, Mr Paul McDermott said this had been a very terrifying ordeal for the woman, stretching over several days. He said the first attack clearly frightened her and effectively made her a prisoner in her own room, until the terrible experience two days later when she was raped.

He noted that the events still deeply affect her physically and mentally, impacting her sense of security and her attitude to life

The judge imposed a sentence of eight years and six months for the rape.

Mr McDermott noted that the suspect had been a hard-working man since coming to Ireland in 2020 and had not come to the attention of Garda. He noted that he also had language difficulties, was isolated from his family in custody and would serve the sentence in Ireland as a foreigner.

He also noted the man’s guilty plea and age as mitigation. He said he also took into account that there was a serious breach of trust, because the man knew that the woman had language problems and that there was no family in the country.

Mr Justice McDermott imposed concurrent sentences totaling seven years, which he backdated to October 2022, when the man was taken into custody. He also ordered three years of post-release supervision.

Detective Garda Aisling McDermott, of the Divisional Protective Service Unit in Kevin Street, Dublin, told prosecutor Elis Brennan SC that the injured party arrived in Ireland approximately two weeks before the events. She moved into a small apartment, where the suspect was the other tenant.

The court heard the suspect helped her get a job and gave her a loan.

On October 19, 2022, the then 25-year-old woman was in the kitchen when the then 63-year-old suspect began touching her, saying “please, please,” pushed her against a wall and pulled down her pants. He wanted her to touch him and put her hand on his penis.

The young woman said she was disgusted by this, so she went to her room, where she stayed for two days, afraid to come out.

Two days later he knocked on her door and tried to get in, so she left the room and went to the kitchen. He sat there on a chair and touched her and rubbed her. He grabbed her when she tried to leave and pushed her into his bedroom, forcing her face down on the bed.

She fought him and screamed as he tried to remove her clothes before raping her. She managed to push him off and run back to her room. He tried to follow her, but went back to his own room.

She took the opportunity to run out of the apartment and sought help from a girl outside, using Google Translate to type “I was raped.” Gardai were alerted and attended the scene.

Gardai spoke to the accused man and he accepted he had had sex but said it was consensual. He said she started crying and he stopped, but later said he did not put his penis in her vagina or ejaculate.

During an investigation at the Sexual Violence Department, swabs were taken from the vagina of the injured party and semen was found whose DNA matched the suspect.

In her victim impact statement, the woman told the court that she was physically unwell for three months after the assault. She said she was homeless and “on the street.”

She said she came to Ireland with many dreams, but they all fell apart. She said it was a “very hard blow” to be raped in an unfamiliar country, where she was alone and did not speak the language. She said her life and attitude have changed and she is deeply affected.

Gerardine Small SC, defending, said her client wanted to apologize for his outrageous behaviour.

She asked the court to take into account his guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and his strong work history. She said he had shown remorse and that time in custody would be more difficult for him as an isolated alien. He has used his time in custody productively.