CO DOWN MAN JAILED FOR RAPE IN JEALOUSY-FUELLED ATTACK

A man from Co Down, Dylan Rory Rogers, aged 28, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for committing a rape and physically assaulting his girlfriend during a jealousy-driven attack at their holiday residence in Palma, Spain. Rogers, a former Ulster schools rugby player, forcibly engaged in sexual acts with his partner over two days. He accused her of looking at another man on the beach, and his behavior escalated to violence and sadism. Prosecutors described his actions as horrific, noting that he pepper-sprayed her, threw eggs at her, made her dance naked, called her his slave, and changed her phone's SIM card to control her further. The court was told he forced her to perform a sex act and raped her on August 7 of the previous year before preventing her from leaving the apartment the next morning, where he subjected her to more violence and rape, even hitting her and smashing her head against the wall while threatening to kill her. Rogers was detained after his victim managed to escape from the eighth-floor apartment and alert a neighbor. He had been in custody since August of the previous year. His previous conviction for wounding was also noted. Rogers admitted to sexual assault and wounding in a plea bargain, which resulted in his sentence being reduced from a potential 34 years down to nine. In addition to his sentence, Rogers received 80 days of community service and was placed under a 21-year restraining order preventing any contact with his victim. The victim, a 23-year-old woman from mainland Europe, was present in court to witness his sentencing.