Judge Kieran O'Connor has rejected an application by the Star newspaper to name a man who was given a three-year suspended sentence last Wednesday for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl.
Last Wednesday the judge banned the media from reporting the case but later allowed it after hearing an application by six media groups. He warned that nothing should be published that could identify defendant or victim.
Counsel for the Star, Mr Kevin Feeney SC, told Judge O'Connor that the now 17-yearold victim and her parents had contacted the newspaper and said they wanted the man named in the media.
Judge O'Connor rejected the application. He said naming the accused was not in the victim's interests but banned the media from reporting why he believed this to be so. He also said identifying the accused might discourage other sexual abuse victims from complaining to gardai and bringing a case to court.
The case concerned a 57-year old Dublin man who pleaded guilty to four counts of sexually assaulting the girl at his home in 1993 and 1994. A number of other charges were taken into consideration. Mr Feeney argued that the victim was aware that she might be identified if the media named the man who abused her.
He said there was legislation in place to protect sexual abuse victims from identification in the media. Sometimes the perpetrator was not named so as not to identify the victim. The legislation was only in place to protect the victim, not the perpetrator, he said.
After rejecting the application, Judge O'Connor said he would arrange for a document relating to the case to be available to a higher court if his decision was appealed.
Afterwards, the editor of the Star, Mr Gerry Colleran, said he was extremely disappointed and "profoundly disagreed" with the judge's decision. He said he was convinced that the victim had the right to have the man named.