Wexford District Court: Woman granted restraining order against ex business colleague among cases heard
Wexford PeopleA number of matters including a suspended sentence for sexual assault, the granting of a civil restraining order and several road traffic offences, were before Gorey District Court recently with Judge John Cheatle presiding.
Suspended sentence for sexual assault
A 19-year-old man received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to two charges of sexual assault involving two boys, aged 13 and 11 at the time of the incidents.
Detective Garda Campion told the court that on dates unknown in April 2024 the accused, then aged between 17 and 18, was playing football with one of the children when he pushed the boy before sexually assaulting him. On another occasion involving the second boy the defendant grabbed him by his arms, sexually assaulted him, and then threw him over a wall.
During specialist interview the injured parties could not recall if the assualts took place over or under their clothes.
Lana Doherty, solicitor for the accused, stated that her client, now 19 years old, had previously entered a guilty plea to both charges, saving the two boys the trauma of a trial. The solicitor put to Garda Campion that her client “wouldn’t be as sharp or with it as other teenagers” to which the garda agreed.
Ms Doherty expressed apologies on behalf of the defendant.
A probation report was carried out which described the young man as a high risk of reoffending without intensive therapeutic interventions. The probation services stated in their report that the service would continue working with the accused and provide treatment to prevent further sexual offending.
Judge Cheatle handed down a 10-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months on the conditions that the accused enter a 24-month probation supervision bond, engage with all programs recommended by the probation services in relation to sexual offending, have no contact with the injured parties or their family, and desist from further offending.
The young man has also been added to the sex offenders registry.
A civil restraining order was granted to a woman in connection with the breakdown of a business relationship resulting in a string of malicious letters.
Ross Pratt O’Brien BL, instructed by King and Company Solicitors for the applicant, informed the court that the respondent had a previous business relationship which turned toxic when the man began writing letters to the woman that turned hostile as time went on.
The barrister informed the court the woman has found tracking devices on her car on occasion. Mr Pratt O’Brien also highlighted that the respondent has a history of poor business relationships having been referred to his client by a colleague of the woman for his difficult behaviour.
The woman gave evidence that the man wrote letters to her over a period of a year and a half, with 100 pages given to the court, one of which where the man detailed the “extraordinary event” of seeing the woman on a local beach. However, over time these letters became more hostile.
The more sinister letters came to light when a complaint was made to the woman’s professional regulatory body and documents were then sent to her where the respondent makes accusations of “males being targeted” by the applicant.
Judge Cheatle commented that the letters go well above what is reasonable and granted a five year civil restraining order preventing the man from approaching within 100 metres of the woman. The Judge also added condition prohibiting the man from making or publishing fictious comments concerning the woman and her personal life.
A number of speeding fines were issued resulting from the installation of a static speed camera at Aske, Gorey.
Philip Moran, of 103 Barleyfield, Wicklow Hills, Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow, was travelling along the road on July 23 2025 when the camera captured him travelling at a speed of 108kmh. The posted speed limit on this road is 100km. Judge Cheatle fined the man €120 with three months to pay.
The static camera also captured Bridget Connors of 46 Woodview, Ashford, Wicklow, travelling at a speed of 117kmh on June 8 2025 resulting in a fine of €120 with four months to pay being imposed by the Judge.
Similarly, on August 4 2025 Aine Kavanagh of Rose House, John Street, Gorey, was travelling on the road in question when the camera captured her driving at a speed of 112kmh. Judge Cheatle imposed a fine of €120 allowing three months to pay.
Probation act applied in firearms offence
A Wicklow woman plead guilty to offences under the firearms act.
The court heard that on April 20 2021 a search was carried out at the home of Stephanie Tyrell, Coolrue Lodge, Tinahely, Wicklow, when a crossbow and a .50 calibre air pistol were discovered.
Tyrell plead guilty to the offence of possession of the crossbow with the other offences being withdrawn.
Ross Pratt O’Brien BL, counsel for the accused, informed the court that the matter was simply an issue of ignorance of the law with Tyrell being unaware the weapons were categorised as firearms having bought them at a market in Kilkenny.
The accused has no previous convictions and was fully cooperative during interview.
Judge Cheatle applied section 1(1) of the probation act.