Russian soldier in sex attack

A former Russian Special Forces soldier who said he was suffering flashbacks when he wrestled a teenage girl to the ground and sexually assaulted her at Dublin Airport has avoided jail.

The 51-year-old Lithuanian man told gardaí he was having flashbacks to his time with the Russian military in Siberia and believed he was protecting his girlfriend from falling bombs.

Liudas Vaisvilas, with an address at Glenveagh Court, Letterkenny, Co Donegal pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal to sexual assault at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport on April 10, 2014.

Hours after he was released from garda custody following the incident, Vaisvilas was arrested for sexually assaulting a young girl in a similar way at Eddie Rocket’s Diner on O’Connell St.

Judge Patrick McCartan had previously remanded Vaisvilas in custody for psychiatric assessment after he said he was concerned whatever was troubling him could lead him to offend again.

The psychiatric assessment concluded Vaisvilas was in a temporary state of mind resulting from a combination of extreme tiredness and recent bereavements.

Yesterday, the judge suspended a sentence of three years on condition he keeps the peace for that time and obeys any instructions of the Probation Services. Vaisvilas has been in custody since the offence because he was unable to pay the €1,500 required under his High Court bail.

Judge McCartan noted that he is at a low risk of reoffending and is remorseful.

He said it must have been a huge shock for the victim to be set on by this huge man and thrown to the ground and groped over her clothes.

Vaisvilas was previously sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence for the second sexual assault in Eddie Rockets