This article is from page 16 of the 2009-01-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
A WEST CLARE man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 16 year old girl had to be extradited from America to come back and face the case, a court heard.
Ennis Circuit Court heard that the 32 year old had pleaded guilty to the assault on the young girl as she lay sleeping in her bed.
On February 9, Judge Carroll Mo- ran was told, the man had been out socialising with the girl’s parents and came back to the house with them.
Around 4am, the girl told gardai, she woke to find the accused naked in the bed beside her. He put his hand under her night-clothes and touched her breasts and private parts.
In a statement to gardai made three days after the event, the girl said she was crying and trying to push the ac- cused’s hand away.
The Judge was told that the girl had to go for counselling for a number of years and was skipping school, be-
lieving people were staring at her.
She is engaged but has had some strain on the sexual relationship with her fiancé as a result of the incident, the court heard.
Speaking in mitigation for his cli- ent, Mark Nicholas BL said he had a severe drink problem, which he has dealt with. “He has voluntarily brought urine analysis which shows week after week that he is not drink- ib ito
Mr Nicholas said the man is “thor- oughly ashamed of this despicable act and I offer and apology to the in- jured party.”
He added that while his client had gone to the USA “he was not hiding. He was working and had applied for a residency permit so he was on the iecTOre hal
Judge Moran said he did not want to make an instant decision and ad- journed sentencing to January 29 to the court in Limerick.