Jonathan Colbert jailed for aggravated sexual assault

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

Jonathan Colbert was sentenced to four years in jail for aggravated sexual assault at the Central Criminal Court by Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan. He had pleaded guilty to the charge. The proceedings were reported on 6 November 2015.

The sentence was backdated to November 2013, when Colbert first entered custody. His name was to be added to the Sex Offenders Register.

The assault happened on 13 October 2013 as the woman walked home. Garda Donna Ryan told the court that Colbert dragged her into a nearby estate. The report said he pinned the woman, who was in her 40s, against a wall and banged her head against it three times. He lowered his trousers and underwear and tried to undo her belt as she screamed for help.

The report said Colbert was too intoxicated to be interviewed immediately after arrest, but later claimed the woman had engaged in consensual sex acts with him.

Ms Justice Heneghan noted that the woman did not wish to be reminded of the events and had declined to make a victim impact statement. The report identified the physical harm to her face as an aggravating factor. The judge also noted Colbert’s lack of genuine remorse and that a psychologist’s report suggested a low level of empathy.