Rape and sexual assault conviction rate rises significantly over 20 years in Cork

The numbers of rape and sexual assault convictions in the Cork garda divisions have almost trebled in the 21 years between 2003 and 2024, according to CSO figures.

However, these figures only reflect a fraction of the numbers of sexual crimes being reported, the chief executive of Sexual Violence Centre Cork (SVCC) has warned.

Mary Crilly was responding to a statement from Ireland South Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, in which she pointed to a 149% jump in rape and sexual assault convictions in Cork city between 2003 and 2024 from figures issued by the Central Statistics Office.

In 2003, there were 78 convictions for rape and/or sexual assault in the Cork city garda division.

This figure had jumped to 194 convictions in 2024.

There was an even higher proportional increase in the Cork North division in the same period, up from 40 convictions for rape and/or sexual assault in 2003 to 108 convictions in 2024.

The proportional increase in the Cork West division was 186% in the same period — up from 21 convictions for sexual assault/rape in 2003 to 60 in 2024.

The highest increase nationwide was in the Dublin East division, where the figure for sexual assault/rape offences jumped by 275% from 36 in 2003 to 135 in 2024.

The Kilkenny/Carlow division was where the lowest increase in the number of sexual assault/rape cases was recorded, up 17% from 63 in 2023 to 74 in 2024.

Ms Crilly said the court system was a major obstacle in the way it dealt with rape and sexual assault cases.

“We need to get back to the basics — there’s still only one in four who report, there’s still only a 10% conviction rate,” Ms Crilly added.

“From my experience of going into court pretty regularly, the conviction rates aren’t very high.

“There is a better kind of detection and investigation with the Protective Services Unit because at least the gardaí for once have a chance to really investigate a crime, whereas before they might have been investigating all sorts of things such as a rape, a robbery, and a traffic accident.

“At least now with the Protective Services Unit, there’s four of them in the city and county making a difference as far as I’m concerned,” she said.

“The court system is still not fit for purpose and the conviction rate is still quite low,” she added.

Meanwhile, describing the increase in recorded sexual assault and rape convictions as a “crisis” and pointing to the increase in the number of those convicted of rape and sexual assaults in Irish prisons, Ms Ní Mhurchú is seeking a meeting with justice minister Jim O’Callaghan.

The MEP is also seeking more focused measures to rehabilitate sexual offenders in prison.

According to figures provided to Ms Ní Mhurchú by the Irish Prison Service following a Freedom of Information request, there were 800 sexual offenders in Irish prisons as of May 31, 2025, costing almost €80m annually to house.

This figure represented an increase of 16% on the May 31, 2024, figure of 692 sexual offenders in prison.

“Back in 2018, there were only 172 sexual offenders in our prisons,” Ms Ní Mhurchú said.