Ex-footballer jailed for nine years over rape of 19-year-old woman
Tiago Damasceno Sousa appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Cork for sentencing
A former professional soccer player who raped a young woman in her home at knifepoint, made video recordings of the attack, and threatened to kill her and her parents has been jailed for nine years.
Tiago Damasceno Sousa, 39, who previously played for America Mineiro, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Cork for sentencing.
He pleaded guilty to raping the 19-year-old woman at her home on 29 March 2024.
Detective Garda Áine O’Regan said that the victim was raped and threatened at knifepoint between 7am and 9am on that date in her own home.
The court heard that the woman endured a horrific ordeal as she was raped numerous times over a two-hour period. She woke to find an intruder, later discovered to be Sousa, leaning over her bed at 7am.
He was armed with a knife and covered her mouth. He warned her to “shut up”.
He said if she failed to comply he would kill her and her parents. He swung the knife back and forth as he lay on top of her.
Dt Garda O’Regan said that the victim knew something bad was going to happen the minute she spotted the man over her bed. The teenager decided to try and trick him in a bid to get him to leave her alone.
“She agreed to have sex the following day. But he kept slapping her in the face, saying, ‘No, you are going to do it now.’ She agreed to give him oral sex. He was still holding the knife.
“When she said “no video” (recording) to him he told her to shut up. He slapped her on the face because he believed she was not showing pleasure… He kept apologising to her. He said he had had proof that she was enjoying it.”
Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford was told that Sousa had performed oral sex on the woman. He also put his penis in her several times from different positions recording some of what occurred on his mobile phone.
He repeatedly made death threats.
Sousa was living in West Cork for over a year at the time of the offence. He required an interpreter at the sentencing hearing arising out of his lack of proficiency in English.
Dt Garda O’Regan said during the attack he used Google translate on his phone so that he could warn his victim not to confide in anyone until he had gone back to Brazil.It was established by gardaí that he had his bags packed and had a flight to Brazil booked for the following day. He intended to spend a month in Brazil and then return to Ireland.
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