Dentist convicted of sex assault on trainee nurse

A DENTIST was convicted and fined €1,000 yesterday for sexually assaulting a trainee dental nurse in his practice by opening all the buttons on her new uniform top after asking her to report for work early.

“If I have to decide if the motive was indecent, I conclude that it was,” Judge Tim Lucey said as he convicted the middle-aged dentist on that charge.

He dismissed two other charges arising out of other sex assault complaints.

Speaking afterwards, the injured party said: “It has stopped my life and my family’s life; it has stopped my career. Women should not be silent in the workplace if harassment is going on.”

The young woman plans to emigrate.

She was accompanied by Sally Hanlon of Support After Crime Services who said: “She has been vindicated and she can go out with her head held high.”

The injured party could not understand why it was not possible to publish the identity of the accused.

The woman indicated through her solicitor that she wanted him named but did not want her own name published.

Ernest Cantillon, solicitor, on behalf of the Irish Examiner, Irish Times, Irish Independent and RTÉ, argued that there was no basis for the prohibition on identifying the dentist.

However, Judge Lucey would not remove an earlier order made at Cork District Court that the dentist could not be named.

He said he was making no order on the matter.

The defendant’s solicitor, Frank Buttimer, had complained about Mr Cantillon’s application earlier in the trial, calling it a sideshow that was distracting him from the work of defending his client.

On Thursday, Mr But-timer said: “If these people (the media) want to break the law which they are seeking to champion, we all know what they think of the law.”

Yesterday, Mr Cantillon responded: “Mr Buttimer refers to ‘these people’ as if they are noxious beings. These people have a valid part to play in the process, these people have an important part to play.”

The only option open is a judicial review at the High Court, which could take up to six months.

On the count in relation to the opening of buttons and then feeling around in her top pocket, touching her breast with a biro, the judge said there was no consent, there was a deliberate touching, this constituted an assault and it was indecent.

Mr Buttimer had argued that the dismissal of the charge under the Probation of Offenders Act would have been appropriate on this count, but the judge disagreed and proceeded to convict and fine the dentist €1,000 for sexual assault.