A TEENAGER who admitted sexually assaulting a girl in front of their friends when they were both aged 14 was remanded on bail for sentencing.
The adolescent pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the victim on May 7, 2022 before his sentencing hearing at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
The defendant cannot be named as he was under the age of 18 at the time of the offence.
The sentencing court heard that the teen wrapped himself around the victim from behind and sexually assaulted her with his finger.
The assault occurred in front of a group of their friends, including the victim’s sister.
“This is happening in broad daylight … in front of 10 people,” said prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley.
She told the court the victim bled from the assault. The court heard the victim’s sister physically forced the defendant off of her when she realised her sibling was in distress.
The judge heard the defendant wiped the girl’s blood off his hand on a friend’s t-shirt at the scene and shouted an obscene insult.
The victim told Gardaí that the defendant grabbed her underwear from inside her pants and forcibly pulled them upwards. She said she told him to stop but he continued.
The court heard that their group of friends initially believed the defendant had only been play acting.
The victim said she tried to push the defendant away “so I could run”, but he put his hand down the back of her pants and sexually assaulted her.
The victim said she froze with fear and the defendant only stopped when her sister intervened.
The victim was collected from the scene by her mother who immediately brought her to a sexual assault treatment unit where a medical assessment found her complaint to be consistent with a sexual assault.
A number of the youths present at the time of the assault gave statements to Gardaí corroborating the girl’s complaint.
The girl attended her GP, a psychologist, and the HSE’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, as the incident “left a strain on her mental health, understandably”, said Ms Buckley.
The court heard the defendant and the victim continue to live in close proximity to one another.
Ms Buckley read out a victim impact statement written by the girl who said she has “lost all confidence” and finds it challenging to leave her house without a family member.
The victim said she “struggled” returning to school afterwards “knowing everyone in school knew what happened to me” and finds it “hard to trust” and “hard to sleep most nights”.
“My sister saved me that day, and I am so grateful to her,” she wrote.
The defendant’s barrister, Joe McMahon, asked the court to take into account the defendant’s admission of guilt, suggesting the defendant’s actions had been a “lapse of judgement”.
“It’s not a moment of glory for him in any shape or form, he is extremely remorseful, and he has expressed shame.”
Mr McMahon said the defendant had little understanding of sex at the time and the probation service suggested it might be beneficial if he engaged in a sexual education programme and write a letter of apology to the victim.
Judge Colin Daly said he had “much to consider” and that he would pass sentence at a later date.