Irish former rugby player found guilty of rape in France

Former Irish U20 prop Denis Coulson has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after he was found guilty of the rape of a woman in Bordeaux in 2017.

Coulson was one of three former FC Grenoble rugby players who were accused of the alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old woman after a match in Bordeaux in March 2017.

Former Irish international Chris Farrell, who is currently signed to French team Oyannax, has been given a four-year sentence with two years suspended for failure to prevent a crime.

The court was told that he will not be sent to prison but will have to wear an electronic tag for the two years and remain in France.

Loick Jammes, 30, from France was found guilty of rape and given a 14-year sentence.

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34-year-old Rory Grice from New Zealand was found guilty of rape and given a 12-year sentence.

30-year-old Dylan Hayes from New Zealand was also given a two-year suspended sentence for failure to prevent a crime.

The incident happened in a hotel room in Mérignac, a suburb of Bordeaux after their team at the time, FC Grenoble, played a championship match against Union Bordeaux Bègles.

All five defendants had denied the charges against them.

The three men accused of rape had said that any sexual activity was consensual.

The trial was held behind closed doors, in the absence of the media or the public, at the request of the lawyers for the complainant.

It got under way last week at La Cour d'Assises, a criminal trial court in the southwestern region of Gironde.

It had initially been