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Rapist To Be Sentenced For Attack at Irish Gaming Convention

The Irish Independent newspaper reports that a man who raped a woman at a 2015 gaming convention will be sentenced later this year.

28 year-old Keith Hearne, pictured right, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one count of oral rape and one count of falsely imprisoning the woman at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Blanchardstown on July 4, 2015. He has been placed in custody until his sentencing. The sentence hearing will take place on June 19.

The woman, Dominique Meehan, had been a volunteer at the ArcadeCon gaming convention, working in the screening room when the attack happened. The festival website carries statements related to the attack, including one by Meehan, who waived her right to anonymity.

In her statement, Meehan said she waived her anonymity because, "No one should have to go through what I went through, and if I had kept my anonymity, Hearne would have been accepted back into the con scene with open arms like he'd been away on holiday. Everyone needs to know that they need to protect themselves from this man, but also that there are people like him in every facet of normal life."

In another statement, Declan Doody, former director of ArcadeCon, said the festival "shut down because one of our own was attacked. The heart of the convention was gone, and there was no coming back from it."

ArcadeCon had described itself as "an Irish convention that brings together Anime, Gaming, Music and Movie fans."

Thanks to Grace Bellerby for the news tip.