Courts / Dublin / Report
Man accused of assaulting bar woman told gardai he was drunk
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 14 December 2017, Donal Geoghegan, aged 37, pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexually assaulting a bar woman on the dance floor of a late‑night bar on 21 November 2015. The complainant, who cannot be named, testified that she felt a hand on the top of her thigh that moved to her vagina and remained there for what she described as hours. She said she saw Geoghegan staring at her and that he had deliberately reached for her private area. Geoghegan told Gardaí he was drunk after drinking beer, red wine, shots and spirits with colleagues, and claimed he had no memory of the incident beyond being in a holding area. Garda Sergeant Joanne McCormack gave evidence of his interviews, and CCTV footage was shown of an unknown man, "Mr X", behaving in a tactile manner towards several women.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man accused of assaulting bar woman told gardai he was drunk. Charges or matters: sexually assaulting the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in a city centre late night bar on November 21, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 21, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2017-12-14 Publication
Case subjects
Applicant
Charges: sexually assaulting the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in a city centre late night bar on November 21, 2015 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Today Sergeant Joanne McCormack gave evidence of the defendant's interviews with gardai during his detention. "We started drinking at 5:30pm in The Ballsbridge Hotel; we had been at a staff seminar there all day.
Places mentioned
Topics
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