Courts / Kildare / Report
Serial burglar loses appeal over on-the-run sex attack
Summary
Paddy Harty, 45, of Ennis, was on the run when he sexually assaulted a 53‑year‑old woman he met in a pub in Kildare on 23 April 2015. He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court and was sentenced to four years imprisonment, consecutive to a four‑year sentence for theft and fraud that he had received two months earlier. Harty's appeal against the severity of the sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which found the total sentence "appropriate". The Court noted that Harty had met the woman in a bar, they had drinks, kissed, and then he drove her to a secluded area known as 'Braveheart Hill'. There he removed her bottom clothing and forcibly held her by the arms. She fled, hid in a thorny bush and called the Gardaí. Harty was identified from CCTV footage and initially denied having met the woman.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Serial burglar loses appeal over on-the-run sex attack. Charges or matters: sexually assaulting the woman (53) at a secluded part of The Curragh, Co Kildare on April, 23, 2015. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- January 29, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2019-04-08 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: sexually assaulting the woman (53) at a secluded part of The Curragh, Co Kildare on April, 23, 2015 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He was sentenced to four years imprisonment, made consecutive to another four year sentence Harty had received two months earlier for theft and fraud offences, by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy on January 29, 2018. Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Marie Baker, said the sentence imposed fell within the available range and no error had been disclosed.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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