A youth who sexually assaulted his girlfriend when they were both teenagers has been jailed for three years.
The man, who is now in his 20s and can not be identified for legal reasons, avoided a longer prison sentence because of his young age at the time of the offending.
On various dates in 2019, during what was the girl’s first relationship, the then 16-year-old boy violently sexually assaulted her six times.
After the first time, she said she became afraid of him and started having nightmares and panic attacks.
After the final attack, she told him she didn’t want to see him again, and he asked her not to tell anyone as it would ruin his life.
In her victim impact statement, the woman was highly critical of the DPP’s decision to accept his pleas, adding that she had prepared herself for the criminal process.
If he were an adult at the time, the judge said he would have considered a ten-year prison sentence, but had to take into account the fact he was a child in the eyes of the law.
The judge also wondered if something could be done to educate young men about the importance of consent.
Main image: The Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com
