A man has been jailed for three years for sexually assaulting a homeless woman.
The man, who can’t be identified to protect the woman’s identity, was found by a jury to have molested her while she slept rough on the streets of Dublin.
On the night of the assault in August 2014, the homeless woman returned to her Dublin city hostel only to find she had gotten the time wrong and her bed had been given away.
After being turned away, she collected a sleeping bag and met the accused a short time later, who brought her to an area with shelter.
She told him she was grieving her partner at the time and he replied that she could stay with him with “no strings attached.”
On two occasions during the night, she awoke to find him sexually assaulting her. A jury found him guilty on both counts earlier this year.
In her victim impact statement, the woman told the court she felt “stupid” for putting herself in that situation. She said her self-esteem is now shattered.
Judge Patricia Ryan jailed the man today for three years.
Reporting by Frank Greaney
