At the man's sentence hearing at the Central Criminal Court earlier this year, the Cork woman described how she had stayed in a toxic relationship for 18 years for the sake of her children.
The couple separated in 2019 but were still living together on the evening of August 2nd, 2019 when the woman was threatened by the man with the secateurs.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the woman's identity, raped the woman and stopped only when their children came home.
The court heard that after the attack, the woman fled her home and spent a few weeks staying in hotels and with friends before finding rental accommodation. She said she did not go to Gardaí because of how it might affect her children and said she was afraid to be on the streets during that time.
The man was convicted on July 14th last after a trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt today said the case was very tragic for all concerned and noted the very damaging effects the offending had on the woman, before setting a headline sentence of 10 years
