Courts / Dublin / Report
Man is jailed for five years for sex assault on Tinder date
Summary
Paul Flaherty, aged 30, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a woman he met on Tinder. The assault occurred on 31 August 2015 at his parents' house in Tallaght, while they were in the next‑door bedroom. The victim had made it clear she was not interested in sexual contact, but Flaherty ignored her refusal. The judge described the behaviour as "disgusting" and noted the assault had a "very serious impact" on the victim's life. Flaherty's defence cited his immaturity, alcohol and gambling problems, but the court rejected any mitigation. The sentence was back‑dated to 7 March 2018, the day Flaherty entered custody. The victim's impact statement detailed lasting physical and mental harm, and she expressed that the event had profoundly altered her life. The judge refused to suspend any portion of the sentence. Paul Flaherty was found guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man is jailed for five years for sex assault on Tinder date. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- August 31, 2015 Incident
- August 31 Incident
- March 7 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2018-03-09 Publication
Why: I no longer dream of raising children because the world seems so sinister now", she said. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; After sentence was imposed a woman stood up in court and shouted to the judge that the sentence handed down was "a travesty of justice". Another person pleaded with the judge to suspend part of the sentence imposed adding: "We will appeal this all the way to Strasbourg." In reply, the judge said Flaherty came from a very respectful family but the court had a duty to respect the jury's verdict and he would not suspend any portion of the sentence.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- brought her to Tallaght Garda Station
- Tallaght
Topics
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