Kelvin Opoku, reported as originally from Ghana, was convicted of raping a student who was severely intoxicated and unable to consent after she was brought to his Donegal apartment. He received nine years and later lost his appeal against conviction.
The prosecution
The jury heard that the complainant and a friend met Opoku and Boakye Osei after leaving a nightclub. Video evidence showed the complainant staggering and falling. The court found that both men knew she was incapacitated by intoxication and took advantage of that condition. Opoku claimed during Garda interview that she had consented; the jury convicted him.
Timeline
- February 2015: The rape occurred after the student was brought to Opoku’s apartment in County Donegal.
- November 2019: A Central Criminal Court jury returned a guilty verdict.
- March 2020: Opoku was sentenced to nine years.
- 14 March 2022: The Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge to the conviction.
Cost benchmark
Nine years at the Irish Prison Service 2024 staffed-space average gives a nominal gross benchmark of €891,648. This is not an audited individual invoice and does not include the five-week trial, appeal, investigation, legal aid, victim services or supervision.
Related file
Boakye Osei was separately convicted and sentenced in the same prosecution.