In a Dublin courtroom, a jury of twelve delivered verdicts that took thirteen hours to reach — finding three men guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a woman they met at a nightclub in the early hours of August 31, 2019. Anthony Hickey, Fabio Vicente, and Matin Zolfaghari each maintained the encounter was consensual, but digital evidence — including video clips in which a woman's voice is heard saying 'no' — told a different story. The case, now nearly six years in the making, reflects both the enduring difficulty of prosecuting sexual violence and the quiet, persistent courage required of
Three men convicted of rape and sexual assault following Dublin nightclub incident
A woman was raped and sexually assaulted by three men over several hours in August 2019, with lasting trauma requiring victim impact statement preparation.
Listen to you laughing after she says no.
Mark
What made this case so difficult for the jury that they needed thirteen hours to deliberate?
Mimi
The core issue was consent, and the defendants' accounts were consistent with each other—they all claimed the woman had agreed to sexual activity. But the woman's testimony was that her memory was fragmented, that she believed she'd been drugged, and that she couldn't fight back. The jury had to weigh her fragmented recollection against their coordinated denials.
Luke
But here's what's important: the WhatsApp messages and video clips weren't part of the defendants' initial story to gardaí. Those emerged later, from their phones. The video of her saying "no" multiple times—that's direct evidence that contradicts their claim of consent.
Mark
Why did it take so long for this case to come to trial? The incident happened in August 2019, but they weren't interviewed by gardaí until September 2020.
Mimi
That's a gap of over a year. The woman reported what happened, but investigations take time. By the time the men were interviewed, they had time to coordinate their stories, which is partly why those WhatsApp messages became so important—they showed the men were actively rehearsing their account before speaking to police.
Luke
We should note that the jury convicted on six of seven charges, not all seven. Zolfaghari was acquitted of sexual assault, though convicted of oral rape. That suggests the jury found some charges more clearly proven than others, even with the evidence presented.
Mark
What happens now?
Mimi
They're remanded in custody until March 10, when they'll be sentenced. The court has ordered a victim impact statement to be prepared, which will inform the judge's sentencing decision.
Luke
And that's significant—the victim impact statement means the court will hear directly from the woman about how this has affected her life over the past six years.
Le Pouls
- A woman left a Dublin nightclub in the early hours of August 2019 and woke the next morning in a stranger's house, her memory fragmented and her body bearing the evidence of assault by three men.
- The defendants presented a unified account of consensual activity to gardaí — but WhatsApp messages revealed one of them coaching another to 'stay sharp' on their story just two days before their police interviews.
- A thirty-second video clip, sent between two of the accused and recovered from a phone, captured a female voice saying 'no' multiple times — while laughter was audible in the background.
- After thirteen hours of deliberation, the jury convicted all three men on six of seven charges, with majority verdicts reflecting the weight and complexity of the evidence before them.
- The three men, who showed no reaction as verdicts were read, appeared visibly shaken afterward; they were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on March 10, 2025.
In a Dublin courtroom, a jury of twelve delivered verdicts that took thirteen hours to reach — finding three men guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a woman they met at a nightclub in the early hours of August 31, 2019. Anthony Hickey, Fabio Vicente, and Matin Zolfaghari each maintained the encounter was consensual, but digital evidence — including video clips in which a woman's voice is heard saying 'no' — told a different story. The case, now nearly six years in the making, reflects both the enduring difficulty of prosecuting sexual violence and the quiet, persistent courage required of those who come forward to seek justice.
A Dublin jury has convicted three men — Anthony Hickey, 39, Fabio Vicente, 42, and Matin Zolfaghari, 34 — of raping and sexually assaulting a woman they met at a nightclub on August 31, 2019. After thirteen hours of deliberation, the jury found the men guilty on six of seven combined charges of rape, oral rape, and sexual assault. Justice Paul Burns remanded all three in custody and adjourned the case to March 10, 2025 for sentencing, directing that a victim impact statement be prepared.
The woman told the court that she had gone out with a housemate before the group ended up at the nightclub in the early hours of that August morning. After her housemate left, her memories became fragmented and hazy. She told the jury she believed she had been drugged. Her next clear recollection was being in the back of what she thought was a taxi, with men around her. She testified she was raped twice in the vehicle and later found herself in a house, where further assault occurred. She said she tried to fight back but felt she could not. She woke the following morning beside Hickey, fled the house, and immediately told her housemate what had happened.
The defence presented the men's accounts of consensual activity throughout the night, and in separate garda interviews all three claimed the woman had not withdrawn consent and had not appeared too intoxicated to give it. But digital evidence proved decisive. Messages recovered from Hickey's phone showed him asking Zolfaghari to send a video clip from the night, then responding: 'Listen to you laughing after she says no.' The clip, recorded in the SUV, captured a female voice saying 'no' repeatedly. Further messages showed Hickey sending Vicente a detailed account of the night two days before their garda interviews, telling him he had been going over it 'to stay sharp' and suggesting they meet before they 'go to war.'
Prosecuting senior counsel Karl Finnegan told the jury that consent was the central issue, describing the complainant's evidence as dignified and credible. The woman was present in court when the verdicts were announced. The three men showed no visible reaction as the registrar read the findings, but appeared shaken afterward before being taken into custody.
A Dublin jury has convicted three men of raping and sexually assaulting a woman they encountered at a nightclub nearly six years ago. Anthony Hickey, 39, Fabio Vicente, 42, and Matin Zolfaghari, 34, were found guilty on six of seven charges following thirteen hours of deliberation by a jury of eight men and four women. The verdicts came after the men had pleaded not guilty to a combined seven counts of rape, oral rape, and sexual assault stemming from events on August 31, 2019.
Hickey, from Ballyogan Square in Carrickmines, Dublin 18, was convicted of rape, oral rape, and sexual assault by majority verdict. Vicente, with an address in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, was convicted of two counts of rape by majority verdict. Zolfaghari, from Marley Court in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, was convicted of oral rape by majority verdict and acquitted of sexual assault. The three men showed no visible reaction as the registrar read the verdicts in court. Justice Paul Burns remanded them in custody and adjourned the case to March 10 for sentencing, directing that a victim impact statement be prepared. After the court adjourned, the men appeared shocked before embracing family members and being taken into custody.
The woman testified that she and a housemate had gone out for drinks before heading to the nightclub in the early hours of August 31, 2019. She recalled dancing and having casual conversation with a group of men, possibly three or four in number. When her housemate told her she was leaving, the woman said she would follow, but her recollection of what happened next became fragmented. She told the court that things grew "faded and hazy" after her housemate departed and stated: "I believe I was drugged." She remembered seeing a bag of white powder nearby but could not recall whether she had consumed anything.
Her first clear memory after leaving the nightclub was sitting in the back of what she believed was a taxi, with one man beside her and three others also in the vehicle. She described her memory of this period as "hazy" but said: "I remember a male being on top of me." She testified she was raped twice in the car but could not identify whether it was the same person both times. She recalled the taxi driver "playing with his zipper" and then had no memory until she found herself lying on a bed in a house with two other men present, one of whom was on top of her. She said she attempted to kick out but felt she "wasn't going to be able to fight." She lost consciousness and woke the next morning to find Hickey asleep beside her. She rushed from the house, took a taxi home, and told her housemate what had occurred.
During cross-examination, counsel for each man presented their clients' accounts of the night, describing a series of allegedly consensual sexual activities in Vicente's SUV and later in Hickey's home. In separate voluntary interviews with gardaí on September 10, 2020, all three men offered similar versions of events, each claiming the woman had consented to sexual activity except for one request for anal sex, which they said she declined. They each told gardaí that the woman did not withdraw consent and did not appear too intoxicated to give consent.
Critical evidence emerged from digital communications. An analysis of Hickey's phone revealed WhatsApp messages between him and Zolfaghari. On September 9, 2019, Hickey wrote: "Send me that clip of your one." Zolfaghari sent two video clips in response. Hickey replied: "Listen to you laughing after she says no." The clips had been recorded by Zolfaghari in the SUV. In a thirty-second recording, a female voice is heard saying "no" multiple times. Additionally, the prosecution introduced WhatsApp messages from Vicente's phone showing that on January 16, 2020, Hickey had messaged Vicente with an account of the night. Two days before their gardaí interviews on September 8, 2020, Hickey messaged Vicente again with the same account, asking him to read it and saying he had been going over it "to stay sharp" and that they should "meet tomorrow before we go to war."
Prosecuting senior counsel Karl Finnegan told the jury that consent was the "central" issue in the case. He characterized the woman's evidence as "dignified and credible" and noted she was "clear" that she had not given consent. Justice Burns thanked the jurors for their care and attention to this "particularly difficult case" and noted that the men's legal status had changed following their convictions. The complainant was present in court when the verdicts were announced. Sentencing is scheduled for March 10, 2025.
Citations marquantes
I believe I was drugged.— The victim, testifying about her fragmented memories of the night
The central issue in this case is consent. The woman's evidence was dignified and credible, and she was clear that she didn't give consent.— Prosecuting senior counsel Karl Finnegan, addressing the jury
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Crime & Justice