Sean McFarland, 36, was fined £300 after pleading guilty to breaching a lifetime ban on reporting the identity of the complainant in the rape trial of Ireland and Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding.

The players were both acquitted of rape in March after the high-profile nine-week trial.

Mr McFarland has also paid a £15 offender levy.

Det Ch Insp Zoe McKee, of the PSNI’s Public Protection Branch, said: “This is the first time that anyone in Northern Ireland has been prosecuted for breaching this right to anonymity and should act as a deterrent to anyone who names a complainant in any serious sexual offence, who are entitled to lifelong anonymity.

“The PSNI is fully committed to investigating offences of this nature. We understand how difficult it can be for anyone to report a rape.

“I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of any sexual crime either recently or in the past to contact police or to speak to someone about what has happened.”