Prisoner pleads guilty to sexual assault on fellow inmate at The Midlands Prison
Portlaoise Courthouse
WHEN a prisoner, with a release date in 2031, was first brought before Portlaoise District Court, he had been charged with one count of sexual assault for ‘tipping the bottom’ of a fellow inmate and had his case adjourned to last week’s sitting.
At the first hearing in the case, Garda Det Michael O’Donovan said the director of public prosecutions had directed that the case proceeds by way of summary disposal (at district court level).
Det O’Donovan said on 10 November last year, as prisoners were working in the horticultural area of the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, the defendant “allegedly tipped the bottom of the alleged injured party and made a sexual suggestion to him.”
Judge Susan Fay asked what the alleged suggestion was, to which Det O’Donovan said: “He had a lovely a**e.” When the case resumed last week, the man pleaded guilty to the charge.
Garda sgt JJ Kirby was asked by Judge Fay to give again the details of what had happened on the day.
Sgt. Kirby said that at 5.30pm that evening, both the accused and injured party had been working in the horticultural area of the prison and had been discussing books. They made their way to the canteen to have tea when “all of a sudden (the accused) grabbed him in his genital area. As the injured party was leaving, the accused told him ‘I love your arse’.” “So, there were two (sexual assault) incidents,” said Judge Fay.
Reading from the victim impact statement, Sgt Kirby said that the accused also grabbed the backside of the injured party.
Defending barrister Andrew Dunne said the first day of the case heard Det O’Donovan say that his client grabbed the injured party on the backside and no evidence was provided that the defendant had groped the injured party in the front.
Mr Dunne said that Det O’Donovan had given the facts on that day and not the injured party’s full statement as relayed by Sgt Kirby.
Sgt Kirby said that the defendant would have been charged with two incidents but that the director of public prosecutions had instructed to proceed with the case on one count of sexual assault.
He said the 49-year-old, who cannot be named on the instructions of Judge Fay, had 77 previous convictions and a release date in 2031.
Judge Fay remanded the defendant on continuing bail to the 16 June 2026 sitting of the court for finalisation and, in the meantime, asked that he engage with the probation services and for gardaí to canvass a victim impact statement for the injured party.
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