A youth will face trial accused of sexually assaulting a young girl after she fell asleep.
An 18-year-old appeared before Judge John O’Connor at the Dublin Children’s Court on Monday. He is charged with sexual assault of the girl, then aged 14, at an apartment in north Dublin on a date last July. The youth was aged 17, a juvenile, at the time of the alleged incident.
The youth was later arrested in a midlands town and charged.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that the case could be dealt with at Children's Court level and not in the Circuit Court, which can impose lengthier sentences.
Det Garda Michael Harkin said it was alleged that the girl's sister was in a relationship with a member of the youth's family.
It was alleged the girl fell asleep on a couch in the apartment and the youth attempted to penetrate her digitally, but she woke up and pushed him away.
Treatment
It was reported immediately to gardaí and the girl was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit for an examination. The court heard she has been left very traumatised.
Judge O’Connor deferred ruling on the trial venue issue. The teenager, who was accompanied by his solicitor and a youth worker, was remanded on bail.
He has not yet indicated how he will plead to the charge.
Judge O’Connor said the decision by the DPP for the case to be dealt with in the juvenile court would not have been made lightly, but he wanted more information to be given to the court before he made a ruling on the trial venue issue.
The teenager's solicitor, Aisling Mulligan, said that without further details she would be unable to make submissions. Disclosure of prosecution evidence to the defence has been ordered.
The case resumes in May.