Courts / Dublin / Report
"Hope you're not upset with me": sex assault trial jury hears of text message
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, a man accused of sexually assaulting a female client during a massage on 24 January 2015 pleaded not guilty. The jury heard that the defendant allegedly removed the woman's underwear, touched her vagina, kissed her bare bottom and claimed he "just couldn't help himself." Prosecutor Maurice Coffey presented a text message from the defendant's phone dated 30 January 2015 that read, "hope you're not upset with me," and added that he would understand if she stopped seeing him. The defendant admitted sending the text but denied all other allegations, stating he had only hugged the woman. A friend of the victim testified that the woman called her on 24 January, described the assault, and reported it to Gardaí that night. The victim was cross‑examined by Tara Burns SC, who questioned why she did not react immediately. The trial was scheduled to continue the following day before Judge Karen O'Connor.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: "Hope you're not upset with me": sex assault trial jury hears of text message. Charges or matters: sexually assaulting a woman on January 24, 2015; allegedly removing the woman's underwear and touching her vagina, before kissing her bare bottom and saying he "just couldn't help himself". Procedural stage: trial
When:
- January 24, 2015 Incident
- January 30, 2015 Incident
- January 24 Incident
- January 25 Incident
- 2017-11-30 Publication
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: sexually assaulting a woman on January 24, 2015; allegedly removing the woman's underwear and touching her vagina, before kissing her bare bottom and saying he "just couldn't help himself" (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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