Garda guilty of sex assault on woman as she slept

A SERVING garda has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman after getting into her bed in what he claimed was a ‘drunken stupor’.

The married father is charged with sexual assault in relation to an incident at Breaffy House Resort, outside Castlebar, Co. Mayo, on July 26, 2015.

The garda was one of a group of eight people, including the complainant, who was staying in an apartment at the resort after travelling to Castlebar to participate at a charity event on July 25.

Last week in evidence Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court heard that in a Facebook message the next day to the complainant and her husband, who also was in the apartment, the accused said ‘loads of beer’ and Captain Morgan ‘doesn’t agree with me’.

He gave an explanation about how he ended up in the complainant’s bed.

He added he felt ‘embarrassed, ashamed and stupid’ afterwards. The garda, who cannot be named, dramatically changed his plea to guilty yesterday.

Last week evidence was heard that the group attended a charity event and then stayed overnight in a Breaffy House apartment. The victim told the court that when they went back to their apartment they played a card game called Cards Against Humanity which she described as a ‘dark humour’ game. She said there was a ‘good atmosphere’ in the apartment.

Under cross-examination she said the garda had the ‘mickey taken out of him for slurring his words’ during this game. She said she never felt threatened in the company of anyone who was there on the night, including her attacker.

She said around midnight she was tired and went to bed. She changed into her pyjamas and after saying goodnight to everyone, her husband went into the bedroom with her. She said she ‘went out like a light’ when she got into bed.

Under cross examination she said she was awakened from her sleep by a man in the bed beside her which she initially thought was her husband but quickly realised it was a man molesting her.

The victim then explained that as a bedside locker light was switched on by her husband her attacker got out of bed with his trousers down.

She said she was highly distressed afterwards.

The court heard the next day the victim and her husband got a Facebook message from the accused. In the message, the accused apologised but claimed not to remember much about what had happened. He said: ‘Unfortunately, loads of beer and Captain Morgan’s (rum) do not fit well with me... I can only guess that in my drunken stupor I went to the wrong bed.’

The apology was rejected by the couple. The victim’s husband wrote an angry response and reminded the accused he was a married man with a family.

Giving evidence previously, the husband said when he entered the room, he switched on the light and pulled the bedclothes back. He said the garda was naked from the waist down and was ‘pretending to be asleep’, having ‘one arm holding his head and the other on his penis’. A Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission interview with the accused was read out in court.

The garda told a Gsoc investigator that he did not recall entering the bedroom. He said he was woken by her husband but was not comfortable going into the specifics until he knew what was alleged.

Following the guilty plea yesterday Judge Rory MacCabe discharged the jury.

The garda will be back in court on June 13 for sentencing.

‘Embarrassed and stupid’ ‘Loads of beer and rum’