A man (49) has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting a young woman while he was working as a care assistant.
Robert Hull from Lotamore Drive in Mayfield, Cork, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday to three separate sexual assault charges in relation to the woman, who has a mild intellectual disability, on dates unknown between April and August 2019.
Det Sgt Chris Cahill told the court that Hull was working with an organisation providing services for people with intellectual disabilities and that he was assisting a male service user who was friendly with the young woman and Hull got to know her even though he had no involvement in her care.
The young woman was a protected person under the terms of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, which defines “a protected person” as someone, who because “of mental or intellectual disability or mental illness lacks the capacity to consent to a sexual act”, he said.
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The matter came to light when the young woman was attending a beauty therapist and told her how she had a boyfriend. The beauty therapist knew of the woman’s mild intellectual disability and relayed her concerns about what she heard through some intermediaries to the woman’s family.
The woman’s brother notified gardaí, and Hull met gardaí by appointment on April 21st, 2021, and he was arrested for questioning. Hull co-operated fully with gardaí, making full admissions including that he had performed oral sex on the woman, touched her breasts and digitally penetrated her.
Det Sgt Cahill said Hull admitted that all the assaults happened in his car in a location in Cork city on different occasions after he had finished a shift caring for the woman’s friend. Hull also admitted sending the woman sexually suggestive images and messages on her Facebook Messenger.
Det Sgt Cahill said there were no victim-impact statements from the young woman or her family as her family made a decision not to tell her about the case going ahead as they felt that it would “reopen old wounds” for her over the assaults.
Cross-examined by Hull’s barrister, Emmet Boyle BL, Det Sgt Cahill agreed that Hull was apologetic and deeply remorseful for sexual assaulting the young woman, saying at interview that “I have no explanation for how I got into it” and that he wanted to say “Just how sorry I am”.
The mitigating factors included Hull’s early plea which spared his victim the trauma of having to prove the case in a trial, while other mitigating factors included his apology and remorse, his previous good character and good behaviour since, the court heard.
However, Judge James McCourt said the fact Hull had sexually assaulted someone who was “easily led and manipulated” meant he had to impose a custodial sentence.
The judge sentenced him to three years and six months in jail but suspended the last three months on condition he keep the peace and be of good behaviour on his release.
