Courts / Limerick / Report
Limerick man jailed for aggravated sexual assault of woman walking alone at night
Summary
Jonathan Colbert, 27, of Limerick, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault on a woman in her 40s who was walking home from a night out on 13 October 2013. He grabbed her, dragged her into a nearby estate, pinned her against a wall and struck her head three times. While she screamed for help, he removed his trousers and underwear and attempted to undo her belt. A resident called the Gardaí after hearing the screams; the victim was still struggling when officers arrived. Colbert pretended to make a phone call and fled. He was intoxicated at the time of arrest and later claimed the victim had consented to sexual acts. The court noted the lack of a victim impact statement and the victim's desire to move on. Justice Margaret Heneghan cited the physical harm to the victim's face, Colbert's lack of genuine remorse and a psychologist's report of low empathy as aggravating factors.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Limerick man jailed for aggravated sexual assault of woman walking alone at night. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- October 13, 2013 Incident
- November 2013 Other
- 2015-11-02 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Accepting his low to moderate risk of re-offending and difficult personal circumstances as mitigating factors, Ms Justice Heneghan recommended that Colbert take part in courses to help his rehabilitation and backdated his sentence to November 2013 when he first entered custody.
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