A man was found guilty at the Central Criminal Court yesterday of the oral rape of a prostitute at his Dublin home two years ago. Meho Slavotic (44) was convicted by a 10-2 majority verdict. The offence was committed in his home at Valley View in Swords early on July 1st, 1995.
He was found not guilty of two further charges of raping the woman on the same occasion.
The jury began its deliberations on Monday evening and was sent to a hotel when it had failed to reach any verdict by 8 p.m. It took almost two more hours to reach its decision yesterday.
Mr Justice Geoghegan remanded the man in custody to December 12th next for sentencing.
Mr Sean Ryan SC, prosecuting, requested the preparation of a victim impact report on the 49-year-old woman, who no longer works as a prostitute.
Mr Peter Charleton SC, for the defence, requested the preparation of probation and psychiatric reports on his client who, it was said, has a history of depression and alcoholism. He said his client had an IQ of 62.
The woman told the jury she was working in Fitzwilliam Square and agreed a £60 fee with Slavotic for sex with a condom in his house. When they were in his bedroom he refused to wear one and forced himself on her.
He also made her perform oral sex, and this disgusted her. She said even the thought of such an act "turns my stomach".
Slavotic came to Ireland from Sarajevo in Bosnia four years ago. He gave his evidence in Serbo-Croat through an interpreter.
He said he took a taxi to the square, and the taximan did most of the bargaining as he could speak only broken English. If the woman had mentioned the need for a condom at that stage he would not have understood her, he said.
He claimed she agreed to sex without a condom after he threatened she could give the money back and leave his house. He denied having oral sex with her.
The defendant said he had seen condoms on sale in Sarajevo and a relative had told him the Serbo-Croat name for them. But he could not remember any more of the explanation.
Slavotic said he did not understand the English word "condom" or the brandname "Durex" when he met the woman in July 1995. He also said he could not explain why the woman was in tears outside his house, as she appeared fine when she left.
The taxi-driver denied he had done the negotiating on the defendant's behalf. He drove them to Slavotic's home and after 1 a.m. happened to be in the Swords area again. He met the woman, who was crying.
She said Slavotic "had tried to get his own way without a condom."