Man accused of sexually assaulting a secondary schoolgirl given two months to consider plea

A 50-YEAR-OLD MAN accused of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in Dublin 4 by repeatedly kissing her has been given two months to consider his plea.

The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Dublin District Court on Thursday. Garda Michael Ryan told Judge Fiona Brennan the man “made no reply” when charged.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) held that the case should be heard in the District Court rather than the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

In an outline of the facts of the case for the judge to decide jurisdiction, Garda Ryan said it was alleged that on a date in November last year, on a road in Dublin 4, the accused “approached the injured party, a female juvenile, as she was walking home from school, and engaged her in conversation before he allegedly kissed her on both cheeks and attempted to kiss her on the lips”.

The court heard that the complainant is a secondary school student.

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A report was taken, and gardaí compiled a file for the DPP.

After hearing the summary of the allegations, the judge accepted jurisdiction, granted the defence a disclosure order, and told the accused he must have no contact with the complainant as a condition of his bail.

He is to appear again in January to enter a plea and remains on cashless bail, set at €200.

Reporting restrictions apply due to the nature of the allegations, and he cannot be named.

He is charged with sexual assault under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Amendment Act 1990.

In an application for legal aid, his solicitor said the accused, a foreign national living in south Dublin, was of limited means.

However, the judge deferred ruling on that issue and noted he was in employment. She required a vouched statement of his means to decide if he was eligible.