Trainee pilot Chris Brady jailed six years for raping sleeping woman in Meath

Chris Brady (31), of Ashbourne, Co. Meath, was sentenced to six years in prison for raping a sleeping college student at his home in May 2023.

Trainee pilot jailed for rape of sleeping college student at his Co. Meath home

A trainee pilot who raped a sleeping college student at his Co. Meath home has been sentenced to six years in prison, BreakingNews.ie reports.

Chris Brady (31), of Cornstown, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, was convicted of rape following a Central Criminal Court trial last month and was jailed on Tuesday.

Night out ends in assault

Garda Sergeant Jessica Hargadon gave evidence that the victim and two friends had been socialising and visited Coppers nightclub, where her friends met Brady and his friend. The woman was introduced to Brady at the end of the night and believed he was interested in one of her companions.

The group decided to continue the night at Brady's home. He asked to kiss the woman, who refused, telling him she thought he was interested in her friend. Brady replied that her friend was not giving him enough attention.

The woman later fell asleep in a separate room. She was woken to find Brady raping her. She told him to get off and asked him to let her sleep. Brady said something to the effect of "you're scaring me, I feel like I've attacked you. I'm sorry." He then attempted a second assault before she told him to leave, which he did.

The woman showed a note on her phone to her friends during the car journey home reading: "I hate him, I woke up and he was having sex with me." She made a formal complaint to gardaí two days later and was examined at a sexual assault treatment unit.

Brady claimed encounter was consensual

Brady co-operated with the investigation and made a voluntary prepared statement in August 2024. He claimed the woman had flirted with him and initiated consensual sexual activity, saying he woke to find her kissing him before they engaged in consensual sex, which the woman allegedly ended because of a romantic interest in someone else.

Brady had no previous convictions and has been in custody since 1 July, when the jury returned its verdict.

Victim: "While you were building your future, I was trying to survive mine"

Reading her victim impact statement in court, the woman described what was supposed to be an "ordinary night out" as having been turned into "something ugly". Her studies and her broader college experience were negatively affected, and she said she now sees the world as a cruel place.

She chose to attend court alone to spare her family from witnessing her cross-examination. Brady, by contrast, had "family outside those doors waiting." She said the difference was "because I was carrying a different story."

"Yours came with no shame at all. Mine came wrapped in shame, and that changes what you can ask someone to sit through," she told the court.

The woman said Brady "used my story as your own" in his garda statement. "The evil it takes to do that is incredible. You didn't put together a simple story. You knew what happened and still you decided to sit down and write what sounded to me like a sick fantasy."

She said Brady's version of events had been the "biggest shock" and that there was "no remorse or guilt in making up a story like that."

Her statement also addressed the central question that had haunted her since the night: "How does a person actually go into a bedroom, see a girl sleeping and think that's his chance." She said hearing Brady's account had helped her understand — "because they don't see anything else but a sleeping body."

Defence cites career consequences and character testimonials

Eoghan Cole SC, prosecuting, told the court the woman wishes to retain her right to anonymity but is content for Brady to be named in media reporting of the case.

Testimonials from Brady's father, siblings, a family friend and a coach from Ashbourne GAA club were submitted to the court, describing him as hard-working, trustworthy and involved in charity fundraising and sport.

Sean Guerin SC, defending, acknowledged the testimonials were being provided in difficult circumstances. He noted that it is an established part of sentencing for the court to be informed of a defendant's character, and that all testimonials acknowledged Brady's conviction.

Guerin told the court his client had trained as a pilot but was unable to secure garda clearance for employment in that role. Brady subsequently qualified and worked as a flight instructor until the same vetting issue arose. The defence submitted that the consequences of the conviction would be "career-long" for Brady and described this as an "unusual and significant" mitigating factor.

Brady has diagnoses of dyslexia and ADHD. Guerin also confirmed his client would not be appealing the conviction. "In that sense, he accepts the verdict of the jury. He fought the case on the basis of an account he gave and that's as far as I can put the matter," Guerin said. He submitted that Brady has "good prospects for rehabilitation."

Judge: violation of sleeping person "intrinsically at a higher level"

Imposing sentence, Judge Melanie Greally said the court regards the sexual violation of a sleeping person as "intrinsically at a higher level" of severity. She noted that the will of a sleeping person is "so totally and completely overborne that they have no power to resist or refuse" and that the victim can never know the full extent of what occurred.

The judge identified the second act of penetration, however brief, as an additional aggravating factor, along with Brady's words to the victim — "you're scaring me, I feel like I've attacked you. I'm sorry" — which she characterised as evidence of "gaslighting."

Source: BreakingNews.ie