MAN (75) ABUSED GIRL (8) IN HOTEL
Man pleads guilty to sexual assault of 8-year-old girl with special needs
A 75-year-old man pleaded guilty at Sligo District Court on Thursday to sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl who has special needs in a hotel bar in Gurteen.
The court heard the accused had been out socialising in a bar when he met the girl for the first time.
The court heard the accused, Larry O’ Toole (75) with an address at Church Gate, Gurteen was socialising in the village on September 4 th 2016 where he met the father and his daughter. They had been in another bar and then went to the bar in the Hill Hotel, where the assault took place. The girl then told her father what had happened.
Investigating garda Sergeant Gerry Curley told the court that the assault was captured on CCTV.
The accused, who pleaded guilty, was convicted and released on bail to reappear in January 2019 for sentencing.
A grandfather pleaded guilty at Sligo District Court to sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl who has special needs in a bar in Gurteen.
The court heard the accused had been out socialising in a bar when he met the girl for the first time.
The mother of the girl, now aged 11, was present in court and told Judge Kevin Kilrane that the assault has had a profound impact on her daughter, who has become extremely nervous, has low self confidence and has lost all trust in men.
The court heard the accused, Larry O’ Toole (75) with an address at Church Gate, Gurteen was socialising in the village on September 4 th 2016 where he met the father and his daughter. They had been in another bar and then went to the bar in the Hill Hotel, where the assault took place.
The girl then told her father what had happened.
Investigating garda Sergeant Gerry Curley of Gurteen Garda Station told the court that hotel CCTV footage from the night was carefully examined and the assault was captured on it.
He said that the assault took place between 11:16 and 11:55pm.
The girl was alone in the bar at the time. He said the accused could be seen touching his genitals near the girl and then attempting to grope the girl’s genital area but she went to block him.
Sergeant Curley told the judge the girl brought the allegations to the attention of her father on the night after what had happened.
Mr Keith O’Grady BL, representing the accused, said the father of the girl said he brought his daughter out with him to watch a Kilkenny hurling match earlier in the day.
Mr O’Grady added that on the man’s own admissions a very large amount of alcohol was consumed.
There was music on in the bar and CCTV confirmed that the girl’s father was going to and from the bar area and she was left alone with the accused.
He said that other patrons in the bar didn’t know about anything going on and when asked by Judge Kilrane he replied that there were no independent witnesses.
He described the quality of the video as good.
The judge said it was a serious case where a vulnerable 8-year-old girl was neglected by her father who was drunk and not taking proper care of her.
He put it to Mr O’Grady was it not an aggravating factor on the part of his client.
Mr O’Grady then said that such was the sheer volume of alcohol consumed by the accused that he had no recollection of what had happened.
When the CCTV was received, his client was brought in and questioned by gardaí.
Arising from the subsequent interview the accused admitted that he was the man on the footage.
He stated to gardaí that he had issues with memory on the night.
Judge Kilrane then said that he wanted to hear from the victim’s mother who was present in court.
The judge enquired with the woman how her daughter is doing now.
She told him that this was the reason why she didn’t want her daughter having to go to court to give evidence.
She explained that it is only now, two and a half years later after the assault, that her confidence was slowly coming back.
She described her daughter as being extremely nervous around any man, apart from her father.
The judge asked the woman if her daughter knew that the court case was going on and she said she doesn’t as she was afraid if she told her that her mind would just go.
Judge Kilrane then said to the girl’s mother would she not think that it would bring her daughter some comfort knowing that her attacker was dealt with by the courts.
The woman replied that the young girl does understand that what he did was wrong and the only way they refer to him is as the ‘ bad man’.
The judge then said that she is a victim and each victim should know how the offender has been punished.
The girl’s mother replied that she will be telling her daughter the outcome of the case ‘one hundred percent’ and the judge agreed saying that he thinks she should.
Mr O’Grady then told the court that he had specific instructions from his client that he wished to give evidence.
The court heard that he was originally from Dublin and moved to Gurteen 18 years ago.
In response to Mr O’Grady, he agreed that he remembered being brought to the garda station and shown the video of what he had done.
The accused said that on the day of the assault he went out at 6pm to a local bar and met the man and his daughter, he had never met the girl before that day.
They left the local bar they were in and went to the hotel. The accused said he didn’t remember going home.
Mr O’Grady asked him what did he have to say to the young girl and her parents and he replied that he was sorry.
Mr O’Grady then asked if he had children and grandchildren and he said yes. He agreed that he had a drink problem and said that was the reason why his wife had left him.
Mr O’Grady asked him if his family knew about what happened and he said they didn’t but that they ‘probably will’.
Judge Kilrane also asked if he has an interest in pre-puberty girls and the accused replied: ‘no for God’s sake sure I brought my own kids up’.
The judge said that the thing that concerns him is that we all live in the real world and don’t have to speak about sexuality and sexual drive and he said he finds it impossible to believe that someone assaults a child of eight without having difficulties in that regard. He said that tendencies towards paedophilia were something a person was born with.
He said being sexually excited by an 8-year-old girl says enough. He said he couldn’t accept that someone who assaults an 8-year-old girl does not have a paedophilia problem.
He said the accused may have resisted them during his life but on the night of the assault the amount of alcohol he consumed lowered his guard or inhibitions.
He described him as seeing an 8-year-old girl abandoned by her father who was drunk and then over a significant period of time over a half an hour interfered with her and sought to pleasure himself.
He said that a man who gets sexual arousal in this manner did have problems.
“Who would do such a thing? Who would touch and be aroused by an 8-year-old girl if they do not have a problem? He does have a difficulty in that regard and he does pose a danger to young girls.
“Alcohol or otherwise removed his inhibitions and he didn’t control them.
“Anyone that does that remains a risk and this risk must be dealt with,” the judge added.
He said that he wanted a Probation Report and convicted O’ Toole who was released on bail to reappear in January 2019 for sentencing.