Teenager exhibiting 'hyper-masculine ideology' sexually assaulted woman in Cork woods

Judge noted from a psychiatric report it was suggested the accused was on the autism spectrum and was in need in therapeutic support, but the judge accepted he had insight into his offending

Accused was sentenced to three years detention, with half of this term suspended. Picture: Larry Cummins

A 16-year-old boy displaying hyper-masculine ideology sexually assaulted a woman who was walking at an amenity walk near Newmarket, Co Cork, last year. 

He has now been sentenced to three years detention, with half of this term suspended.

The injured party said: “I should have felt safe as any woman is entitled to. I've lost my love of walking. When someone mentions the Island Wood, it sends shivers down my spine.

“In public places, I am constantly on edge and always watching out. This was not just an attack on me physically, but an attack on my sense of safety, trust and peace of mind.

“What happened to me was serious, harmful and undeserved. All women deserve to feel safe and respected.” 

Judge Dermot Sheehan noted from a psychiatric report prepared for Cork Circuit Criminal Court it was suggested the accused was on the autism spectrum and was in need in therapeutic support, but the judge accepted he had insight into his offending from the letter he had written to the victim, expressing remorse for his attack on her.

However, judge also noted the psychiatric report indicated that the teenager had exhibited a hyper-masculine ideology as part of his identity, and the psychiatrist had also expressed concern he was at a serious risk of engaging in further sexually inappropriate behaviour.

He also noted the offence itself had involved a significant level of violence.

The woman told Cork Circuit Criminal Court how her life had changed hugely since she was sexually assaulted by the then 16-year-old on June 6, 2024, while walking.

“This assault interrupted my life at a time when I was most happy and forced me to live with a level of caution and guardedness I didn't ask for. What happened to me that day has changed how I see the world and how I see myself,” she said.

Detective Garda Noelle McSweeney of the Cork County Protective Services Unit told how the woman was walking on her own at Island Wood at about 7pm on the day when she noticed the teenager walking ahead of her so slowly she thought he was waiting for her to catch up with him.

When she spotted the teenager approaching, she rang her boyfriend just before the accused lunged at her, sexually assaulted her and tried to push her into a hedge, but she managed to fight him off with her boyfriend hearing her screams down the phone as she fled.

She managed to make her way back to the car park, where she met another woman who assisted her and the gardaí were called.

The teenager admitted being at Island Wood at the time but denied engaging with anyone. Gardaí obtained a DNA sample from him, and they got a match with DNA left on the woman’s clothing by her assailant, but the teenager could not explain how his DNA was on her clothes.

Defence counsel, Jane Hyland SC, pleaded for leniency, pointing out her client had pleaded guilty, had no previous convictions and while probation and psychiatric reports suggested he had difficulty accepting responsibility, he had expressed remorse in a letter to the woman.

The defendant, who is now 17, cannot be identified as he is a juvenile.