xA 26-year-old man charged in connection with false imprisonment of a woman, sexual assault and assault causing harm in Leinster last November, has been sent forward for trial to the Circuit Criminal Court.
Tralee District Court heard yesterday of several new charges in relation to a "separate incident" in a different province. Severe reporting restrictions have been imposed.
The man, who cannot be named by order of Judge James O'Connor, has been brought before the court a number of times to be remanded in continuing custody since he first appeared before Castleisland District Court on November 23rd last when charged with falsely imprisoning a woman and sexually assaulting her in mountains in Leinster on November 19th.
He has also been charged with assault causing harm to the woman on that date. Previous court sittings have heard these offences are alleged to have occurred after the man met the woman at Harcourt Street in Dublin .
At Tralee District Court yesterday, Insp James O'Connor said the book of evidence had been served in relation to these charges and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) consented to have the accused sent forward for trial. The judge sent him forward for trial to the next sitting of the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee and granted legal aid for counsel.
When the man appeared in court yesterday in custody, Insp O'Connor said "new charges" were being brought and these were "two separate incidents". The man was represented in court by Tralee solicitor David Ramsay.
Sgt Helen O'Regan gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to a total of seven new charges laid earlier yesterday, involving a different place and person.
She said the accused's reply in response to each new charge was "no comment".
The man is now charged with two counts of "making an unwarranted demand" in that he threatened a female "and her immediate family" with harm unless sums of money of €4,000 and €8,000 were handed over to him.
Both these offences are alleged to have occurred between August 20th and November 1st, 2006, and are being brought contrary to Section 17 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994.
The man was also yesterday charged with falsely imprisoning the woman contrary to Section 15 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997, and of assaulting her contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act in a wood in Munster on August 20th, 2006.
He is further charged with sexually assaulting the woman on the same date in the same place.
Two further charges yesterday relate to allegations of theft - that between August 20th and November 1st, 2006, he stole property belonging to the woman to the value of €8,000 and stole cash to the value of €4,000 on the same dates.
Insp O'Connor asked for press reporting restrictions in relation to the new charges.
He applied to remand the accused in custody, saying the DPP consented to send the man forward for trial and the book of evidence was to be served next week.
The judge imposed severe reporting restrictions, saying the new alleged incidents could only now be referred to as occurring in Munster, and the previous ones could only be referred to as having taken place in Leinster. The judge said this was so that nothing would emerge to enable the identification of the parties.
Judge O'Connor remanded the accused in custody to appear again on February 14th in Tralee District Court.