A man charged with three cases of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 15 was held in custody pending his appearance on January 12 in Longford Circuit Court.
The man, who cannot be named due to the age of his victim, appeared before Judge Seamus Hughes on December 22 when he was charged with three charges of assault, domestic violence, and bail violation.
Gda Linda McConnell stated that the man last signed up at a local Garda station on November 5, 2020 and has not signed up since.
He was also not at his address on November 18, 19, or 20 when Gardaí called to investigate, and although it was recognized in court that the man had no curfew on his bail, Gardaí was unable to reach him when contact was made has been.
“I contacted him three times and he didn’t respond. One woman – his mother, I think – answered the phone and when I asked to speak to him she hung up, ”explained Gda McConnell.
The man appeared in court that morning on foot of an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court on December 8th.
His attorney, John Quinn, said his client was in another county and was tending to his sick uncle.
“His uncle needed him to interpret his medical needs. He should have contacted gardaí and told them, ”Quinn admitted.
An evidence book was delivered to the man that morning and he received an alibi warning and was asked to reappear at Longford Circuit Court on January 12. Gardaí applied to the court to take the man in custody into custody.
“He obviously didn’t keep any of his bail terms,” said Sgt Mark Mahon for Law Enforcement.
“He had a limited understanding of the terms of the bail,” said Quinn.
However, Gda McConnell told the court that the terms of the bail were made very clear to the man when he signed his loan and that she also spoke to him.
“When he signed his bail, he understood his terms. These allegations are very grave, ”said Judge Hughes.
“But from a vintage,” said Mr. Quinn.
“Well there might be a reason,” said Judge Hughes.
Gda McConnell stated that the victim was 14 years old at the time and that there was some difficulty gathering evidence which was the reason for the delay.
Judge Hughes was remanding the man until January 12, 2021, when he will appear on Longford Circuit Court. He was bailed for domestic violence, which will reappear in Longford Circuit Court on January 5th.
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