A 17-year-old glue-sniffer who sexually assaulted a woman garda has been given 18 months' detention by the Central Criminal Court.
Mark O'Halloran (17), Delmege Park, Moyross, Limerick, pleaded guilty to committing the offence on August 23rd, 1997.
He had no previous convictions.
Mr Justice Carney suspended eight months of the sentence to take into account time spent by O'Halloran in detention, and a further four months because of his early guilty plea.
Det Sgt James Ryan told Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, prosecuting, that the garda was walking along Cleeves Bank on the Shannon river when the defendant grabbed her.
He pulled up the top of her Tshirt and touched her breasts. . O'Halloran asked her why she did not "kick him in the balls", and the garda replied she did not to hurt him. He then let her go and left, saying it was all a joke.
The garda was very frightened by her experience and reported it at Henry Street station. O'Halloran was spotted some time later and arrested. He made a full statement of admission in the presence of his mother.
Det Sgt Ryan agreed with Mr Patrick Gageby SC (with Ms Isobel Kennedy), defending, that O'Halloran had been seen earlier by gardai walking across a street in a very groggy state. Gardai knew him as one of a group who could be seen around Kelly's Field, a known spot for glue-sniffing.
Mr Gageby said his client was a man of low intelligence whose mother was a decent, hard-working woman.
Mr Justice Carney said that O'Halloran was heavily under the influence of glue when he decided to sexually assault the first woman he met. It was unfortunate for him she was a garda. The victim impact report showed she had suffered permanent harm as a result of this attack.