A healthcare worker has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the rape of a 73-year-old woman with Alzheimer's in her nursing home bed in Co Kildare during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Emmanuel Adeniji, a 52-year-old healthcare assistant, pleaded guilty to the rape, which occurred at around 3 a.m. on April 3.
Adeniji was captured entering and leaving the patient's room on CCTV at the time of the rape, while his DNA sample matched one taken from the woman.
Staff at the nursing home found the woman in a distressed state the morning after the assault, and she told staff that a man had come into her room in the middle of the night and got on top of her.
She told investigating gardaí that the man said nothing as he raped and that she washed herself after the attack and went back to bed. The victim said that she was very sore.
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RTÉ News reports that gardaí arrested Adenijithe healthcare assistant 11 days after the attack after they had analyzed the CCTV footage at the nursing home.
The 52-year-old suspect denied the allegation of rape, but forensic evidence soon found that his DNA sample matched one taken from the victim.
The victim's family said in the High Court that Adenijihad "single-handedly destroyed" their mother's life.
The woman's daughter said that the incident had been made even more distressing by the fact that she was unable to hug and comfort her mother due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The woman reportedly remains terrified that Adeniji will return and rape her again.
"We always said we will dread the day she loses her memory but now one day we hope she wakes up and doesn't remember," the victim's daughter said in court.
Mr. Justice Paul McDermott, who presided over the case, said that the crime was "an egregious breach of trust by a qualified and experienced healthcare worker."
The judge said that the woman was having suicidal thoughts and nightmares and that she now feels a lack of safety.
Emmanuel Adeniji had worked in the Irish healthcare service for 15 years. He has no prior convictions and he is married with four children, according to Mr. Justice McDermott.
Adeniji lacked "real remorse", according to the judge, who said that his lack of regret was "grossly wrong."
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