Man jailed 18 months for Carlow teen sex assault
A man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl at a house party in Carlow has been jailed for 18 months for the sexual assault and false imprisonment of the young girl.
The 26-year-old man had pleaded not (NOT) guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to both false imprisonment and sexual assault of the 14-year-old girl at a housing estate in a Carlow town on June 22, 2024. He is originally from Pakistan and was married earlier this year.
The jury convicted the man earlier this week on both charges following a trial.
Detective Garda Sharon McMeel told Stephen Montgomery BL that a group of five teenagers attended a party at the house after some of the group had been there the night before and were told there would be another gathering on this particular night.
The children were “expecting to meet contemporaries” but on arrival found that only one other teenager was there, the rest were adult men.
During the trial the jury were shown video footage from one of the teenager’s phones, which showed alcohol on a table and the men gathered around.
The victim told the jury that a drink was poured for her.
Det Gda McMeel agreed that at some point the teenagers began to feel uncomfortable and decided to leave the house, with some of the children leaving through the window and others leaving through the front door.
The victim in the case didn’t leave at that point.
She told the jury that the accused man tried to lift up her dress but she pushed it down. He then kissed her on the neck and cheek and tried to kiss her on the mouth.
Det Gda McMeel agreed that at all times the teenager said no. She was being held by the man but she managed to get out of his grasp and made her way to the front door. Another man was blocking the door and she didn’t manage to get out.
At this point one of the boys who had been with her earlier returned to the house and forced his way in. He found the accused man then trying to pull the victim back into the house, but the teenagers managed to escape.
Gardaí were called and the accused was later identified through general enquiries in the area.
He was arrested the following October. He denied the girl’s allegations and instead claimed that the children were making noise and he had asked them to leave.
A victim impact statement from the victim was read into the record by Mr Montgomery.
The girl, now 15-years-old, said that after the incident she had trouble falling asleep and suffered nightmares. She had anxiety that she would see him around her home town.
“I was put in a situation I was way too young for – I was only 14 years old when it happened,” the girl said before she added that she is still traumatised from the assault.
She said the dress she wore that night – “the dress he touched was soaked with tears”. She said she was shaking like a leaf and didn’t want anyone touching her – even her mother.
She thanked the gardaí, the jury and the judge – “My voice was heard because of you all”.
Det Gda McMeel confirmed that the man is originally from Pakistan and has no previous convictions.
The detective agreed with David Bulbulia SC defending that the victim told the jury and gardaí that the accused had attempted to pull up her dress and attempted to kiss her on her lips.
She further accepted that he identified himself from the video footage of the party which the detective accepted was of “assistance to the prosecution of the case”. She also accepted that the man was co-operative with the investigation.
Mr Bulbulia said his client completed his education in Pakistan and continued to work there before he moved to Ireland.
Counsel acknowledged that there will be collateral consequences for his client’s family following his imprisonment, while acknowledging that this is due to his conviction.
He said while his client respects the jury’s verdict, he does not accept the verdict.
Counsel said the fact that his client is on the sex offender’s register – his movement around the world will be restricted.
Judge Eugene O’Kelly said that the children went to this house that night on “some vague invitation” and they were expecting to find young people of their own age.
He acknowledged that two of the boys in the group “acted very responsibly” and decided not to take alcohol having almost immediately felt uncomfortable in the house.
“Whatever happened they became more alarmed and decided to leave,” the judge said.
He said the “aggravating features” in the case was that the accused was the person responsible for the house and it was clear that he was aware that there were young people in the house and he knew they were children.
Judge O’Kelly said the man was flirtatious towards the victim and knew she had been drinking alcohol.
Referring to the sexual assault Judge O’Kelly said the man’s “actions were deliberate and he knew that her friends had left the house”.
He said he must take into account in sentencing “the culpability of the offender and the harm that was caused”.
Judge O’Kelly said it was clear from the “victim impact statement” that the teenager was “traumatised by the event”.
He said the age difference was also an aggravating feature and that the accused had “deliberately plied a child with alcohol.”
Judge O’Kelly acknowledged that the man did not restrain the teenager for a particularly long period of time.
He accepted that the man had co-operated and admitted his identity in the videos taken on the night – which made it easy for the jury to follow what they were seeing because of the distinctive clothing he wore on the night.
Judge O’Kelly imposed a sentence of three years and six months before he suspended the final two years of the term on strict condition including that he forthwith leaves the jurisdiction upon his ultimate release from prison and not return to Ireland for a period of ten years.
Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
