A kitchen porter who attacked a young woman on the street has been warned by a judge that he cannot buy his way out of a prison sentence.
Judge Frank O'Donnell made the comments after Paul Ennis offered to make a £1,000 payment to his victim. The court heard that the defendant would be reinstated in his hospital job in Dublin if given a suspended sentence.
Ennis (23), single and the father of one, of Ashley Avenue, Swords, and Larkhill Road, Whitehall, was found guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court earlier in October of falsely imprisoning and assaulting the woman on July 11th, 1997, at Merrion Square. He denied the charges.
The jury took almost three hours to reach unanimous verdicts after a two-day trial in which the victim told how Ennis grabbed her from behind on the steps to her flat at about 4.30 a.m. She had noticed a man walking behind her for some minutes before that.
The victim described to prosecuting counsel, Ms Mary Ellen Ring, how he dragged her along the street with her feet off the ground while she screamed loudly. He suddenly dropped her on the ground and ran off. Her ordeal lasted about four minutes, she said.
Gardai came to her help and she was able to pick Ennis out a short distance away because of his white and blue striped T-shirt.
Defence counsel Mr Cormac Quinn said that his client apologised for what he had done and was offering £1,000 compensation to his victim. The defendant's family were offering to pay extra money if required by the court. Judge O'Donnell said he did not want to blackmail anyone, nor did he want Ennis to think he could passively buy his way out of a prison sentence.
"This attack was not an instantaneous matter. It was carried out over a number of hours and I don't want the defendant to be under any illusion about his fate," he said.
Judge O'Donnell added: "People, particularly young girls, have to be able to walk the streets of Dublin, whether in the morning, evening or night. The message has to go out that people cannot do what Ennis did."
He remanded Ennis in custody for sentence on November 26th next.