Galway Bay FM Newsroom- A man who sexually assaulted his teenage cousin on the grounds of a church in the city has been jailed for 30 months.
The 32-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the woman's anonymity, pleaded guilty to engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of 17 on a date in May 2018 at a place in Galway City.
According to the Irish Examiner, the Central Criminal Court heard the man was aged 29 at the time when he met the 16-year-old girl.
They spent the afternoon drinking outside and smoking cannabis.
The victim told gardaí she was "stoned" and passing out, and remembers coming to and finding the man having sex with her.
She remembered being in the church earlier that day and said she was so out of it she wasn't able to keep her eyes open.
She said her cousin kept asking her to go over to the bushes and she kept saying no, and later began kissing her body all over and groping her .
The victim further said the defendant ignored her when she reminded him they were cousins.
Garnet Orange SC, prosecuting, told the Central Criminal Court a priest later told gardaí he saw the pair in a dishevelled state, but he didn't have a sense of anyone in distress.
The victim got on a bus back to her home and she told the driver that something had happened.
An investigation ensued and on May 22nd, 2018, gardaí arrested the defendant.
He relied on his right to silence for much of his questioning. but emphatically denied having committed any criminal offence, the court heard.
The court heard the defendant's 140 previous convictions include assault, robbery, burglary, possession of knives, theft and public order offending - and he has four convictions for Covid offences.
The court heard he would be "a fairly visible presence" in Galway City centre.
Passing sentencing, Justice Paul McDermott said the victim was a vulnerable person and the defendant took advantage of her after she became intoxicated - and noted the significant disparity in age.
