Man (24) who sexually harassed elderly landlady receives suspended sentence

A young man who climbed into his 79-year-old landlady’s bed in the middle of the night and sexually assaulted her has been sentenced to probation.

The 24-year-old man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting the woman in her Dublin home in the early hours of March 17, 2023.

The court heard that the man, who cannot be named for reasons of the victim’s anonymity, was out in a social setting on the evening in question and had drunk alcohol for the first time. He has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda Eamon Moylan told prosecutor Rebecca Smith BL that the man had recently arrived in the country from his native Asia and had found accommodation with the woman, who also had two other female lodgers.

On the night in question, the woman woke up in the middle of the night to find someone lying next to her in bed, pressing his body against her and rubbing her thighs. She turned on the light, discovered it was the young man, and yelled at him to get out.

The woman immediately alerted the other lodgers to the man’s behaviour and called her daughter and the police. The man was arrested and spent six weeks in custody before being granted bail by the Supreme Court.

The court heard that just before entering his landlady’s room, the man had gone into the bedroom of one of the other lodgers and attempted to speak to her using Google Translate on his phone. He mentioned sex and the woman told him to leave.

Defence lawyer Nicola Cox BL said the man had little or no knowledge of English and had only been living in the country for three weeks at the time of the offence. She said he had not previously drunk alcohol and was drunk on the evening in question after drinking six pints of beer with friends.

She said his parents have limited resources but have funded their son’s trip to Ireland to learn English. He is supported by members of his community and has had several testimonials given on his behalf.

Ms Cox said the man deeply regrets his actions that night. “He made a very serious mistake by drinking alcohol and committing this offence,” she said.

The court heard that the man wanted to give the woman 1,000 euros as a sign of his remorse.

A victim’s statement was presented to the court but was not read out. The court heard that the woman was deeply affected by the incident and no longer has any subtenants.

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Jonathan Dunphy said it was a breach of trust between a lodger and his landlady. He noted that the man had come into her bed in the middle of the night and “rubbed his body against her in a sexual manner”.

In mitigation, the judge noted that the man had cooperated with police, pleaded guilty, shown remorse and had not been seen by police since. He said the risk of him reoffending was low.

The judge imposed an 18-month prison sentence, which he suspended under certain conditions.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the 24-hour national rape crisis helpline on 1800-77 8888, access the text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis He.lp.