A GARDA sergeant is facing dismissal after his conviction of sexually assaulting a female colleague while on duty at a Garda station.
The sergeant, who is in his 40s and had an “unblemished record”, had pleaded not guilty at Dublin District Court to two counts of sexually assaulting his colleague, who was then on her first station posting, in March and June 2010.
Reporting restrictions were imposed to prevent the identification of the complainant.
In evidence, the complainant said that when she leaned over to use the computer, her superior was behind her. He put his arms around her waist and pushed his pelvic area against her bottom and said “she likes it this way”.
The garda also testified that in June 2010, she had been on duty at her station reading files and going through paperwork. “He came over and put his hand to my left breast and said ‘wake up there’. I replied ‘I am not asleep’.”
The defendant denied sexually assaulting the complainant. “I placed my hands on her hips to move her slightly so I could get past her. In squeezing past her, my groin area came into contact with her buttock,” he told the court.
He said it was an “awkward moment” and “to try and lighten it I made a comment ‘do you like that?’.”
The sergeant told the court that during the second incident he had been tidying an office in the station. He said he thought the victim was asleep or in deep contemplation and he tapped her on her rib-cage. This, he claimed, was to “to wake her out of her position, to make her more alert”.
Judge Bridget Reilly held that in each instance the garda had deliberately touched her, and found him guilty on the two charges. She adjourned to March 16th to consider sentencing.