John Keady challenges register direction after sexual assault conviction

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John Keady brought a High Court challenge to a direction that he be included on the sex offenders register following his sexual assault conviction. The proceedings were reported on 12 February 2020.

Keady pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman. The offence occurred at the Heritage Hotel Killenard, Portarlington, County Laois, on 9 December 2018 and was prosecuted summarily before Portlaoise District Court.

He received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended in its entirety. The court directed that he be subject to notification requirements under the 2001 Sex Offenders Act for five years. Keady brought €5,000 to court as a token of remorse, the report said.

At the High Court, his counsel James Dwyer SC argued that the notification requirements did not apply because Keady had received a wholly suspended sentence and the victim was neither mentally impaired nor under 17 at the time of the offence. Counsel said the District Court judge had erred in law and lacked jurisdiction to make the register direction.

In his action against the DPP, Keady sought to have the direction quashed and sought declarations including that the District Court lacked jurisdiction to make it. Mr Justice Charles Meenan granted permission to bring the challenge on an ex parte basis and made the matter returnable to a date in April.