Courts

Man who masturbated in front of children told gardaí he had insect bite in groin

After initial denials, Mark Dolan (49) pleaded guilty to offence on Wednesday

Mark Dolan was caught on CCTV. Photograph: Collins Courts
Mark Dolan was caught on CCTV. Photograph: Collins Courts
Isabel Hayes
Jessica Magee
Wed Mar 20 2024 - 17:55

A man who masturbated in front of four children last year initially denied the offence and told gardaí he had an insect bite in his genital region, a court has heard.

Mark Dolan (49), formerly of Ardrew Heights, Dun Brinn, Athy, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in front of a child at an address in north Dublin on May 6th, 2023.

Four girls aged between six and eight years’ old were playing in the cul-de-sac where they lived when Dolan exposed himself to them for over five minutes.

Footage of the entire incident was played during a hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday.

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A prosecuting garda told Emer Ní Chúagáin, for the State, that CCTV captured Dolan parking his car beside a school before walking past a group of young girls, crossing the road and undoing his jeans.

The footage shows him repeatedly checking whether anyone is there while exposing himself and masturbating at a sideways angle to the children, who are aware of his presence.

Three of the children’s mothers read out victim impact statements, while a prosecuting garda read out a victim impact statement on behalf of the mother of the fourth child.

All four girls have suffered recurrent nightmares since the offence and no longer feel safe, the court heard.

The mother of a girl who was aged six at the time of the offence said her daughter had been a happy, independent, secure, fun-loving little girl who loved playing with her friends, until her innocence and security were stolen by Dolan.

“I will never forget the look of fear and confusion on their faces when they knocked on my door to tell me about ‘the bad man’,” she said.

“Women and girls are subject to this type of crime all too often in Ireland,” she said, adding, “a clear message needs to be sent that this will not be tolerated.”

Another mother of a girl who was aged 9 at the time said the incident turned her daughter from a happy, sociable, confident little girl into someone who is worried, vulnerable, scared and has regular nightmares about “the man”.

“It robbed her of her innocence. It will forevermore be her first sexual encounter. We will never be able to to bring her back to before ‘the man’ cast a shadow in her life,” the woman said.

The court heard that parents of all four children contacted the guards who obtained footage from a nearby homeowner and also identified Dolan’s car registration.

Dolan has no previous convictions.

He was arrested two days after the offence and initially told gardaí he had an insect bite.

On his third interview, Dolan made admissions but denied he had been masturbating.

He told gardaí that his behaviour was related to a form of exhibitionism and that he had been pretending to urinate.

The garda greed with counsel for the defence that Dolan had stayed on the opposite side of the road to the children and that there had been no full frontal exposure.

Counsel said Dolan felt “rotten and disgusted” with himself and that he accepted that this was a “despicable act” which had traumatised the children.

Counsel said Dolan described the period of the offence as “the lowest moment of his life” as he had separated from his wife and was soon to be divorced, which had destroyed his self-esteem and mental health.

Dolan was living on his own with limited access to his children and was working six days and three nights a week at the time, the court heard.

Dolan spent nine days in custody and began attending therapy to deal with emotional issues which had been building up for a long time, the court heard. He is also on medication.

Testimonials on Dolan’s behalf were submitted from his partner, his mother and two from his current employers where he has worked as a mechanic for 16 years.

Judge Nolan adjourned the matter until Friday for finalisation.