A judge has described the trial of a man who raped a woman with Down syndrome as the most difficult case he’s ever dealt with.

Mr. Justice Tony Hunt described what happened to the woman as an example of how “very bad things can happen to very good people”.

He was visibly moved as he addressed the jurors for a final time before excusing them from jury duty for twenty years.

Faisal Ellahi, who is from Haripur in Pakistan, found guilty of raping a woman with Down Syndrome in Dublin. He lured her back to his Dublin flat after she became separated from her mother while out for a jog.

The victim's family cried and hugged each other after the jury returned with the guilty verdict.

Ellahi had admitted bringing the woman back to his flat in June 2013, but said the sexual contact between them was consensual.

In her recorded evidence, the woman said he asked her to promise not to tell anyone.

She held a pink teddy during her cross-examination, which was done via videolink, and answered questions about the lead up to the attack.

Ellahi took to the stand himself and told the jury he did not know she had an intellectual disability - and had never even heard of Down Syndrome.

He said in big cities back in Pakistan, people with special needs wear badges to let others know.

This afternoon, Mr Justice Tony Hunt thanked the jurors for sitting through such a difficult case.

He said Ellahi tried to fool them and congratulated them for not falling for it. Sentencing will be dealt with at a later date.

Newstalk.com's courts correspondent Frank Greaney was there.