Mícheál Ó Leidhin loses sexual assault appeal

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

Mícheál Ó Leidhin’s 18-month sentence, with three months suspended, remained in force after the Court of Appeal rejected his sexual assault appeal, reported on 1 December 2022.

The appeal court rejected every ground against his conviction and the severity of the sentence. It said sexual assault while a person is asleep cannot be regarded as minimal or trivial, and earlier sexual contact did not lessen the offence’s seriousness.

Ó Leidhin was convicted by a jury and originally sentenced after a woman said he assaulted her while she slept.