A man has been jailed for 12 years after repeatedly raping his sister-in-law over a four-year period of abuse. Eunan Merritt, 56, was found guilty of eight charges of rape, four charges of oral rape and two charges of sexual assault following an 11-day trial.

The Central Criminal Court heard how Merritt, of Crossroads in Donegal, Ireland, repeatedly raped Cheryl Laverty, who waived her anonymity to be named in the trial, between June 1999 and September 2003. The abuse began when Mrs Laverty was 16 years old and ended when she was 21. The 43-year-old said in a victim statement that Merritt “took her life and destroyed her future”.

As reported by Ireland Live, Judge Kerida Naidoo said Merritt had exploited Laverty’s vulnerability. He added: “The fact that the offending occurred over several years means that he is not a person of general good character.”

Detective Garda Rosarie Monagle told the court that Merritt is married to Mrs Laverty’s older sister. As a result, Mrs Laverty spent a lot of time at Merritt’s home as she felt it was her “place of safety”.

She told detectives that, on one occasion, Merritt unfastended her bra in a pub before offering her a lift home. He then pulled into a quarry and raped her.

On a second occasion, Merritt raped Mrs Laverty when she was home alone with her baby. He carried out two other rapes while the baby was in the same room at the time.

On a further occasion, Mrs Laverty tried to stop Merritt from getting into her home. However, he managed to get inside before throwing her onto the sofa and raping her.

Mrs Laverty has been admitted into a psychiatric hospital on a number of occasions since the attacks took place. She eventually explained to her children that “years of trauma and rape had made (her) a vulnerable person”.

She also said there was an “emotional distance” in her relationships “because of the damage caused to me”. The wife and mother also explained how she is fighting to stay alive because of the abuse.

Mrs Laverty continued: “I am living with the version of me that was left behind after the rape. The abuse did not just harm the girl I was – it shaped the woman I have become.”

She told Merritt that she was “easy to use, easy to silence, easy to shame”. However, she concluded: “But I am handing that shame back to you.”

Dara Foynes SC, defending, said Merritt is a “man of good character with a good work record”. He added that his client, who has three daughters, has a number of medical issues and is the sole provider for his family.

Norway’s Prime Minister has shed light on messages he received from US President Donald Trump regarding the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Last month, Trump reportedly told the Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre he “no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace,” after his country “decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping eight wars”.

As reported by The Atlantic, the Norwegian Prime Minister said: “What did I think? I thought, well, it’s just bringing the debate to a level where we don’t solve problems. I’m not going to engage in a shouting match. I’m not going to respond to it.”

Støre did reply to Trump, The Atlantic also added, sending back a short message that said, as he paraphrased it, “I take your message; I still think it’s useful to talk”.

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In his interview with The Atlantic, Støre also said that he was not surprised by the grievance-filled communication because he’s familiar by now with Trump’s fixation on the Nobel Peace Prize. “I reminded him every time that it’s not my decision; it’s not the government’s decision. This is an independent committee. It is staunchly independent,” Støre said. The process is so divorced from politics, he added, that “some of my diplomats say, you know, ‘If the prime minister would try to interfere with the Nobel committee, he would have to resign, because it would simply be unacceptable,’” The Atlantic reported.

President Trump also appeared to link his wish to take over Greenland to the fact that he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This attracted widespread criticism, including from US outlet The Daily Beast, which branded the President “unhinged”.

The document showing his message to Støre, published on X by journalist Nick Schifrin, read: “Dear Jonas: Since your country decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping eight wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think exclusively about peace, although it will always be dominant, but can now think about what is good and right for the United States.”

Støre then confirmed to VG the letter is authentic and said: “This is a message I received yesterday afternoon from President Trump. It came in response to a short message to President Trump from me earlier in the day, on behalf of myself and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb.”

In his message to Støre, Trump also said: “Denmark cannot protect this country from Russia or China, and why do they have ‘ownership’ anyway? There are no written docuements, it’s just that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we also had boats landing there. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding and now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not safe until we have complete and total control of Greenland.”

President Trump then said he would charge the UK a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent to the US from February 1, increasing to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.

A train has derailed in Switzerland, with several injuries feared following a huge avalanche. The derailment happened at around 7am local time near Goppenstein in the canton of Valais. An ongoing emergency is underway.

The derailment reportedly involved the RE1 train, which departed from Brig at 6.12am, and is believed to have derailed in the Stockgrabe area between Goppenstein and Hohtenn. There were around 80 passengers on board the train.

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