A man from Belfast who raped a woman he met on Tinder at her home was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment.
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Thomas Markey was sentenced by Judge Geoffrey Miller QC, who divided his punishment between prison and supervised release.
The judge said that although he was convicted by a jury earlier in the year for the rape of the woman at her home in Bangor in September 2020, Markey has not shown remorse and continues to claim he is innocent.
The 33-year-old father of two children appeared for his sentencing at Downpatrick Crown Court in Belfast via a video link.
Markey, from Torrens Avenue in Belfast, was arrested and charged with rape after an incident involving a woman he met on the dating app Tinder.
After meeting online, Markey and the 31-year-old woman agreed to book a night at a hotel in Belfast. The couple booked a room for September 19, 2020, and planned to have sex for the first time while staying at the hotel. Two days before the planned night, Markey took the train from Belfast to Bangor and went to the woman's house for a drink.
He had originally planned to take the train back to Belfast, but as the night progressed the decision to stay longer so they could spend more time together and he would take a taxi to Belfast early the next morning.
While he was at the woman's house, she drank between eight and 10 cans of beer, while he consumed most of a bottle of Jack Daniels.
During the trial, jurors heard that the couple "kissed and hugged" for a short time before going to bed and falling asleep.
In the early morning hours, she woke from her sleep and found Markey on top of her raping her. She told him to stop, but he continued until he ejaculated.
Markey called a taxi and left. From the taxi, he sent her a message at 1:37 a.m. that read: «Sorry my love. I hope you are well. I really didn't expect it. I really thought everything was fine, but obviously not. I'm very sorry. I thought everything was fine. I hope you are well xxx.”
While travelling back to Belfast in the taxi, the woman ran to a neighbour's house. She was visibly upset and after telling her neighbour what had happened, the PSNI was called.
The woman spoke to the police and was taken for a medical examination, and shortly before 4 a.m. on September 18, Markey was arrested.
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During the police interrogation, Markey confirmed that he met the woman he had met through Tinder and that they had agreed to wait until the hotel overnight stay to have sex.
When asked what happened at her house, Markey said the sexual activity between them was consensual. He also claimed that he and the woman had sex twice, and only the second time did she "get mad" and tell him to leave.
Judge Miller said: «The court sentenced him unanimously on the charge of rape».
Noting that Markey has maintained his innocence and therefore has no remorse for his actions, the judge cited several aggravating factors.
This, he said, included "the fact that the offence occurred in the victim's home and in his bed, where he had the right to feel safe."
Judge Miller added: "It happened in the early hours of the morning when she was asleep and the defendant was a guest who abused trust . She was drunk, asleep and therefore vulnerable. The defendant knowingly defied and ignored her expressed refusal to have sexual intercourse with him that night."
In addition to the seven‑year imprisonment, Markey was also entered into the Sexual Offenders Register for an indefinite period.
Source of information: independent.ie
