Man (53) admits sexually assaulting teenage girl on Dublin bus
Tom Tuite
"I didn't want to wear my uniform, or get the bus, or go to school," were the words of a teenage girl who revealed how she was left feeling unclean after a man sexually assaulted her on a Dublin bus.
Dublin District Court heard on Friday that John Allen (53) began to rub her upper thigh before putting his hand under her school skirt.
Judge John Hughes will sentence Allen, of Whitechurch, Ballybodan, Dublin 16, next week.
Addressing the complainant, the judge said: "He will be going to jail," and "I don't think you'll be worried about meeting Mr Allen on a bus for a while," he added.
Allen, a repeat offender who was out on a suspended sentence for theft at the time, admitted two counts of sexual assault of the girl who was heading home after celebrating a friend's birthday last October.
Garda Elaine Phelan told the court the girl sat on the back seat of the bus at around 8.30 pm, and the accused, who then sat beside her, began touching the teenager.
The teenager moved to another seat towards the front of the bus, but Allen still followed her.
After she sat by the window in another seat, he sat next to her on the outside, preventing her from being able to move, Garda Phelan said.
He tried to move his hand up her leg until she shouted at him, and he got off the bus at the next stop.
The victim remembered that he "looked drunk" and had a bag of chips with him.
After confiding in her sister at home, the girl told her mother the following morning.
Based on the child's description, her mother said, "That's junkie John", and she knew where he was from.
They went to their local garda station, specialist officers interviewed the girl, and CCTV was obtained, clearly capturing the assault.
Allen was arrested in January and interviewed, but made no admissions.
He has been in custody on remand since.
Allen has 39 previous convictions, including two for assault, one for production of a knife, one for possession of drugs, one for obstruction, three for theft, two for criminal damage, and public order offences.
The girl delivered a moving victim impact statement revealing how that date started as a "great day" with her friend, but it now "haunts" her.
She said she had been listening to music when Allen came and sat beside her, and she "feared if he didn't get off the bus, he wouldn't have stopped."
The girl opened up about how she "tried to wash away the unclean feeling" but that she "can't wash it away".
"I didn't want to wear my uniform, or get the bus, or go to school," she told the court.
Afterwards, she wore her tracksuit to school to feel safe.
"And I look over my shoulder a lot now," she said, adding that it was "the most traumatising day of my life."
The girl told Judge Hughes that she can get the bus again now, but "can't sit at the back".
She said it was "very hard to focus on anything else other than the feeling of feeling unclean."
Paddy Flynn, defending, said that his client has been homeless for years with substance issues.
He said Allen's drinking began at the age of eight and he started to take drugs as a teen, and claims to have been "abused himself as a young boy".
The barrister asked the court to note that the guilty plea avoided the need for a trial.
Allen, who appeared via videolink from the Midlands Prison, has a "higher diploma in environmental studies" from UCD, but could not put it to use due to his problems, Flynn said.
The court heard Allen was "completely intoxicated at the time" and "doesn't remember the specifics" of what he had done, but was "extremely remorseful".
Judge Hughes praised the girl, who recalled shouting "Stop and leave me alone!", and encouraged her to see that date as the day she "stood up to him".
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
