Man found guilty of raping woman with Down’s Syndrome

A MAN has been convicted of raping a woman with Down’s Syndrome after luring her back to his house.

Faisal Ellahi (34) was also found guilty by a jury to sexual assault. The jury took two and a half hours to return the guilty verdicts following a five week trial.

During the trial, the jury saw DVDs of interviews with the victim, who is in her twenties, in which she said she became separated from her mother on the street before being stopped by Ellahi. He took her to his house where the rape and sexual assault occurred.

Ellahi, who is originally from Haripur in Pakistan, pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape, sexual assault and having sex with a mentally impaired person at his Dublin home on June 12, 2013. The jury was not required to deliberate on the third count if it convicted him of rape.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the jurors their verdict was “absolutely correct” and that Ellahi’s claim that the woman consented to the acts was “absolutely ludicrous”.

Referring to the victim and her family, the judge said the case was an example of how “very bad things can happen to very good people”.

There was no reaction from Ellahi as the verdict came in.

Conor Gallagher