GALWAY MAN CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

Date Published: 17-Apr-2008

A Galway man has been convicted of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in her bedroom two years ago.The jury in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court took three hours to return its 10 - 2 majority guilty verdict on day- three of the trial yesterday eveningThe 42-year-old man had denied kissing the girl as she lay under the bed covers in her bedroom on April 15, 2006.He was also acquitted by direction of Judge Patrick McCartan on a second charge of sexually assaulting the girl by touching her body on the same day.Judge McCartan withdrew this charge from the jury following an application by defence counsel, Mr Martin Giblin SC, and directed that a "not guilty" verdict be returned on it.Judge McCartan thanked the jury and remanded the man on bail to be sentenced next month.