A woman who was raped and sexually assaulted by her then-boyfriend multiple times while she slept has called for changes to the judicial process.
Niamh Ní Dhomhnaill says she would like to see the criminal system take a "more human approach".
Magnus Meyer-Hustveit pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of sexual assault against Ms Ní Dhomhnaill between 2011 and 2012, while they were both in their 20s.
Hustveit, who is from Norway, was jailed for 15 months following an appeal - having originally been given a suspended sentence.
After taking High Court civil proceedings, Ms Ní Dhomhnaill has now been awarded €1 million in damages by a jury.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast this morning, she said it was "striking" to see the difference between the criminal justice system said and what a jury of laypeople said.
She observed: "[The civil system] wasn't an easier experience - it was a lot more difficult because the focus of the whole proceedings was on the impact.
"I'd blocked a lot of that out, in order to get on with my life.
"In that regard it was a lot more difficult - but I think I felt a lot more understood and heard by the civil proceedings."
Ms Ní Dhomhnaill said the proceedings helped her realise "huge and lasting impact" of the trauma she experienced almost a decade ago.
She said: "In the immediate aftermath, I would get lost - I'd walk home from a shop and suddenly find myself lost. I'd have to ring my mam - who lives in another county - to try to walk me home on the phone.
"I think I forgot about all the times I was just terrified to leave my room, which went on for quite a long time.
"Because I've gotten back to a normal life, you sometimes forget about the initial difficult stages of trauma - and the civil case forced me to kind of rethink about that stuff, and showed me I still have plenty of work to do."
In the wake of her own experiences in the court system, she also spoke about changes she would like to see in the legal system.
She said: "I'd like to see the criminal system take a more human approach. From what I hear it is consistently changing, and it is different even from when I was in it - which wasn't that long ago.
"What I always come back to when talking about criminal proceedings or any form of legal proceedings... is that the most important thing is that the person can first disclose to someone... [to] feel safe and recover. For me, everything comes from there.
"What we have to prioritise are systems and services where people feel they can tell and be believed. I really think if we have that first, I think we can then start looking at criminal or civil proceedings."
Anyone impacted by the issues in this story can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800-77-8888.
