29-year-old man pleads not guilty to sexual assault charges

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

A 29-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to 23 counts of sexually assaulting four girls. His trial was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The proceedings were reported on 21 February 2020. The girls were aged between five and eight at the time of the alleged offences, which were said to have taken place between February 2015 and December 2016 in locations including a creche bathroom, an after-school room and a creche bus.

The creche owner told the court that the allegations came to light on 12 December 2016. She said she and the manager were unsure whether there was a genuine concern or whether the children were being fanciful, but decided to notify the parents involved. One child’s parent notified gardaí the following day, and the man was suspended from work pending the criminal investigation.

The trial was continuing before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury. The parties could not be named for legal reasons.