Mayo bread man pleads guilty to sexual assault of a schoolgirl
John Ring, aged 48, of 35 Bunbeag, Castlebar, Co Mayo, initially pleaded not guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court yesterday to sexually assaulting the girl, aged 17, at a shop in Co Galway on July 22, 2014.
He also denied a second charge of harassing the girl.
However, following an outline of facts to the jury by Conor Fahy, prosecuting, Ring changed his plea to guilty of sexual assault.
Mr Fahy said the plea to the sexual assault charge was acceptable to the DPP on the basis facts in the harassment charge were admitted.
Defence barrister, Eoin Garavan, asked for a probation report on his client prior to sentence. He said Ring had no previous convictions — apart from minor road traffic offences — was in a stable relationship, and was employed.
Mr Fahy had earlier told the jury Ring asked the girl, who was alone in the shop, if she had a boyfriend and if she had a sore back.
He told her he was a physiotherapist and lured her to the back of the empty shop where he grabbed her with both hands around the neck.
The girl later told gardaí the accused kept a tight grip on her neck and was rough with her. He put his knee between her legs and told her to spread them. He pulled up her shirt. She said she could feel his groin against her and he was sexually aroused.
Ring was rumbled when a customer entered the shop and he quickly left but not before commenting to the girl: “Well, you aren’t shy.”
The girl saw him go outside and sit into a big white van. He came back into the shop a short time later and stared at the girl but left as other customers came in.
He later followed the girl in his van as she walked home during her lunch hour.
He blocked her way, let down the window, and beckoned her to come over to him. She refused. He then scribbled his mobile number on a piece of paper and handed it out the window to the girl, telling her to give him a call.
He called back to the shop around 5pm that evening and bought a bottle of water. The girl had to serve him but she said she never made eye contact with him.
Judge Karen O’Connor remanded Ring on continuing bail for sentence in March.
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