A 62 year old man charged with sexually assaulting a 17 year old girl in a hospital ward they were sharing in Cork told investigating gardaí that he had only “shook her hand”.
The teenager has alleged that at 5am on May 14th 2018 at a ward in Cork University Hospital, the defendant approached her bed where she was sleeping and touched her breasts and her vagina.
She woke when she felt her private parts being touched. The man and the teenager were patients on the same ward.
The accused man, when cautioned by gardaí about the incident, replied: “I did nothing to that girl — I just shook her hand.”
Cork District Court was told that the DPP had consented to the matter being dealt with at Cork District Court only on the basis of a guilty plea.
Defence solicitor Eddie Burke told Judge Olann Kelleher that he was requesting the book of evidence in the matter.
Gardaí indicated that further directions from the DPP would now be required. They sought an adjournment on the matter.
The case was adjourned to July 29th for mention. It will then be further adjourned to September 16th.
In the absence of a guilty plea the case will be dealt with at circuit court level.
Evidence of arrest, caution and charge was previously given in the case by Detective Garda Caroline Keogh.
Judge Kelleher only heard a brief summary of the alleged facts in order to see if he would accept jurisdiction to deal with the case at district court level.
The accused was remanded on continuing bail to appear again before Cork District Court on July 29th.
He must sign on once a week at a garda station in Co Cork.