22-year-old Dublin man avoids jail for sexual defilement

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A 22-year-old Dublin man avoided jail for sexual defilement at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, reported on 1 May 2019, after receiving a two-year sentence suspended in full. He had pleaded guilty to engaging in a sexual act with a child under 17 on 1 August 2015. The man cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity. The court heard that he knew the girl from residential care and knew she was below the age of sexual consent. The sentence was conditional on keeping the peace and completing victim-awareness and offence-focused work with the Probation Service.

Judge Karen O’Connor said the victim was vulnerable and commended her courage in making the complaint. The judge warned that the custodial sentence would be imposed if the conditions were breached.