Man pleads not guilty to 23 charges involving four girls

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

A 29-year-old man appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 4 February 2020 charged with sexually assaulting four girls at a Leinster creche. He cannot be named for legal reasons. The proceedings were reported on 4 February 2020.

He pleaded not guilty to all 23 charges. The alleged offences were said to have occurred between February 2015 and December 2016, in various locations within the creche and on a bus owned by it.

The charges concerning the first child comprised 10 counts involving touching and pressing a mobile phone against her. Eight counts concerned the second child. Three counts concerning the third child and two concerning the fourth involved alleged touching over or through their clothes.

Judge Pauline Codd told the jury not to disclose the identities of the parties outside court or seek information about the case elsewhere. The trial was expected to last three weeks, with legal issues to be dealt with before it was expected to open.