Cork architect jailed for sexually assaulting girl  

The defendant was convicted by a jury on a 10-2 majority decision after he denied the crime which happened approximately 21 years ago in Cork city.

A Cork architect based in the United Kingdom was jailed for two and a half years for sexually assaulting a nine or ten-year-old girl in the city when he was 19 or 20.

Jonathan O’Regan, now aged 41, was sentenced to three years in prison with the last six months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The defendant was convicted by a jury on a 10-2 majority decision after he denied the crime which happened approximately 21 years ago in Cork city.

The injured party said in her victim impact statement: “Living with this is like a cloud that is always there but other times that cloud can rain heavily or become a storm. Those days are days of complete struggle, hardship, and misery.

“Jonathan O’Regan did not plead guilty and has put me through this trial. The trial has re-traumatised me in ways I never thought imaginable. It has been the most challenging and painful few weeks of my life. I still feel physically unwell because of the turmoil of the trial. It felt like an out-of-body experience where I was just barely existing and not living, and paralysed with fear.

“Listening to him lie and at times to twist the truth to suit his narrative was mental torture … Along with dealing with the last 20 years of trauma he has caused me, I feel he has added a new layer of trauma and another thing to deal with.

'Pain and anguish'

“Many times, I have felt like dropping this case because of the pain and anguish the entire process caused but somewhere I found the courage to continue and look for justice. He has done this to me and affected me as a child, teenager, and an adult. I now stand here as a survivor who has achieved justice and I am now taking the power and control back to fulfill my life with the happiness that I deserve.” 

The young woman indicated that she wanted him to be identified in coverage of the case.

Judge Catherine Staines referred to the sexual assault carried out by the accused as consisting of asking the child to sit on the floor and take down her pants as he rubbed her vagina with his fingers when she was around aged around 9 or 10, and he was aged around 19 or 20.

Sergeant Dave Noonan said the accused has been resident in the UK for a number of years with his wife and child.

Jane Hyland senior counsel presented character evidence from family and friends of Jonathan O’Regan. Ms Hyland said the accused was an architect and also studied astrophysics and worked in meteorology.

Judge Staines read the many character references and said: “They say that since 2002 he has behaved in an exemplary manner towards his family and friends who refer to his kindness and his willingness to help others.” 

As well as being sentenced for the sexual assault, Jonathan O’Regan’s name will go on the Sex Offenders Register.