A Co Wicklow teenager has been found guilty by a jury of sexually assaulting a girl with whom he had a childhood romance when they were seven years old.
The youth, now 17, was convicted of sexually assaulting the girl in 1996 when they were both 13. The jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court also unanimously convicted him of assault, causing actual bodily harm to the girl on the same date, August 9th, 1996. Judge Kieran O'Connor remanded him in custody for sentence on November 6th. The judge directed preparation of a victim-impact report.
Mr Barry Hickson, prosecuting, told the jury that on the night of the offence the two met at a fast-food shop after the girl had attended a teenage disco.
Mr Hickson said the girl complained that the defendant had threatened to kill her during the attack, in a lane.
The jury was told that the girl returned from the lane to the fast-food shop some time afterwards, crying and very upset. Her hair was in a mess, her tights were ripped and she had blood on her face and cuts on one leg.
The convicted youth was also seen coming down the same lane shortly afterwards. He was confronted by the victim's brother and a formal complaint was made subsequently to the Garda Siochana.