Pleads guilty to lesser charge of assaulting his stepsister

A man who pleaded guilty to assaulting his stepsister will come before the October sittings of the Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing.

The accused, who cannot be named, came before the April sittings of the court on a charge of sexual assault contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law Rape Amendment Act 1990, arising from an incident alleged to have occurred in County Monaghan on October 26 2024. He had pleaded not guilty to this offence.

Following the opening address by prosecutor Stephen Montgomery BL, instructed by County Monaghan State Solicitor Dermot O’Neill, to the jury of nine men and three women, the trial adjourned for a time. When proceedings resumed, the accused was rearraigned on a charge of assault contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and entered a guilty plea.

Discharging the jury, Judge John Aylmer thanked them for their service, stating that the court cannot function without people making themselves available to serve as jurors.

The judge told the jurors there is no way of compensating them for their time but he will excuse each of them from further jury service for three years to acknowledge all they have done if this is something they wish to avail of.

Defence counsel James McGowan SC, acting for Ronan O’Carroll BL, instructed by Roisin Courtney, solicitor, told the court that he is not seeking any reports at this stage and has no objection to the accused being remanded on the existing bail terms and conditions, which include a condition that he stay away from the injured party.

Remanding the accused on these conditions, Judge Aylmer adjourned the matter to a sentence hearing in October.

Outlining the alleged offence that had come before the jury, Mr Montgomery said it is the State’s case that the accused and his stepsister were drinking together and watching TV. It is alleged that the accused began supplementing his drinking with drugs.

At the end of the evening both parties went to their separate rooms. It is alleged that at some point between 5.30-6am the accused entered the room of his stepsister, lay on top of her in her bed and held her by the wrists.

The accused tried to put his hand down his stepsister’s trousers. She shouted at him to stop and eventually pushed him off and he returned to his own room.

Mr Montgomery stated that it is alleged that the injured party’s wrists were bruised in the incident and there is photographic evidence to support this.