Man accused of sexual assault in Cork park

Modovan national Vadim Veste is charged with assault causing harm and sexual assault.

The man accused of sexually assaulting a woman out walking her dog in Fermoy appeared in court by video link from prison and the case was put back for him to appear in person at Fermoy District Court.

Judge Marie Keane adjourned the case at Cork District Court for the accused man to appear in Fermoy on February 11.

Vadim Veste was represented by solicitor Daithí Ó Donnabháin.

Veste is a Moldovan national with joint Moldovan and Romanian citizenship, and he had the assistance of a Romanian interpreter at Cork District Court.

Veste faces two charges related to St Colman’s Park, Fermoy on November 7 2021 — assault causing harm to the woman and sexual assault of the same person.

Detective Garda David Barry said Vadim Veste, with an address at Clancy Street, Fermoy, made no reply to either charge when they were put to him after caution.

Det Garda Barry said previously that it was alleged that the injured party was out walking her dog when a male assailant came up behind her in a dark and unlit section of the park and pulled her to ground from behind, covering her mouth with his hand to stop her crying for help.

He said that the state would allege that the assailant then knelt on top of the woman as she lay on the ground and stuffed a woolly hat into her mouth to stop her shouting, injuring her gums while he put his other hand up under dress and touched her on her vaginal area outside her underwear.

He said that the state would allege that the woman managed to scratch the man on the neck, face and hands before he fled when two other walkers heard her screams for help.

Det Garda Barry said the accused came to Ireland in December 2020, has no ties with the country and has a wife and family back home in Moldova and he feared that he would abscond and not stand trial if granted bail.