Accused in sex assault case refused application to vary bail for travel
The accused had sought to travel out of Ireland for the first two weeks of April. Picture: Larry Cummins
A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a time when four young people shared a bed after a night out has failed in his application to vary bail to allow him to travel out of Ireland for a visit to his home country.
Sergeant Gearóid Davis said there was an objection to the application by the 25-year-old. One of the concerns of gardaí was that there was no extradition arrangement between Ireland and the country to which the defendant wished to travel.
He said in the application advanced at Cork District Court through his solicitor Frank Buttimer that he wanted to travel out of Ireland for the first two weeks of April and had commitments in Cork — as well as this case — and he would definitely return.
Detective Garda Kevin Hastings of the Garda Protective Services Unit said the allegation made by the young woman in the case was that the four were out socialising together, and returned to a house in Cork.
“The four parties knew each other — three male and one female — and were out socialising together. They returned home to a house where they all ended up in a bed,” Det Garda Hastings said at Cork District Court.
The detective said the issue in the case would be to do with consent.
The accused is on a cash bail of €5,000, which was previously lodged in court and he had to surrender travel documents, sign regularly at his local Garda station, and have no communication with the complainant.
He is due in court again on April 18.
