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Suspended sentence for sexually assaulting women A PORTMARNOCK man has been given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting four women. James Sweeney (36), of Blackberry Rise, pleaded guilty at Swords District Court to four counts of sexual assault after he grabbed women’s bottoms and touched their breasts in separate incidents in Portmarnock. Judge Patrick Brady suspended the four-month sentence after the court heard Sweeney had a psychiatric illness and was ‘not a risk to the public’. The offences were carried out when the defendant approached the women at bus stops, church grounds and a main road between December 2004 and August 2005. Sweeney, who did not know the victims, apologised, telling the court he had been suffering from exhaustion and drinking heavily while on medication at the time. Gardaí said the victims ranged in age from their late teens to early 30s and the assaults had no ‘ongoing consequences’ for them, although some felt more nervous when walking alone. The sentence was suspended for three years on condition the defendant continues psychiatric treatment, refrains from alcohol and takes any medication prescribed to ‘control his urges’. Garda Gerard McNally said in evidence the first incident happened at midday on December 4, 2004. Sweeney grabbed a woman’s bottom as she stood at a bus stop, followed her and did it again. A woman was standing at a bus stop at 11.20am on December 10, 2004, when the defendant approached her and tried to engage her in conversation. As she made a phone call, he placed his hand on her breast, she ‘rebuked’ him and walked away. He followed her, putting an arm around her waist, and put his hand on her breast again when she got to the next bus stop. He left when she threatened to call the gardaí. Grabbed On January 13, 2005, a woman was walking through church grounds at midday when the defendant came from behind and grabbed her bottom. ‘She walked away and he followed her. He said he only wanted to give her one,’ Garda McNally said. She ran away and lost sight of the defendant. A teenage girl and her friend were walking down a road at 10pm in the last incident on August 1, 2005, when they saw the defendant lying on the ground. He got up, came over and spoke to them. ‘While getting a light for a cigarette off them, he reached over and grabbed the injured party’s bum and squeezed it,’ Garda McNally said. ‘The other girl gave out to him and they walked away across the road.’ Solicitor John Hennessy told the court the defendant had been ill at the time of the offences. He was unemployed, on disability benefit and was living with his mother. ‘He is aware of the wrongfulness of his actions at the time and he does express regret‚’ Mr Hennessy said. ‘Fortunately for the victims, the consequences on them were not as great as they might have been.’ Mr Hennessy said his client was ‘not a risk to the public’. The defendant told the court: ‘I apologise sincerely for my actions. I wasn’t well, I was suffering from exhaustion’. He said he would go to his doctor if he experienced any further health problems. Judge Brady adjourned the case to July 31, for a community service report, recommending 100 hours in lieu of a four-month sentence. Sweeney was also fined €850.
14 June 2006 Fingal Independent |
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