A man who attempted to abduct a five-year-old child from a Dublin apartment complex has been handed a three-year suspended prison sentence and told to leave the jurisdiction within the next two weeks.
Visak Rajesh Leela (26), with an address in south Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the boy’s attempted abduction on September 14th last.
The defendant told gardaí he did not remember the incident as he was intoxicated after attending a party. He said he did not know why he ran after and pushed the boy out of the building. However, he suggested that he perhaps thought he knew the child.
Judge Martin Nolan previously said there were “troubling aspects” to the case, which he adjourned until Monday for the preparation of a probation report, which assessed Leela as being at a low risk of reoffending.
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In light of the facts of the case and the probation report, Judge Nolan said the court had considered if Leela “is a danger to children” and “come to the conclusion he is not”.
The judge said the court considered in the circumstances of this case that Leela’s culpability was low and that he did not deserve an immediate custodial sentence.
Having considered Leela’s personal circumstances and the mitigation, Judge Nolan imposed a three-year sentence, suspended on strict conditions. He directed Leela to leave the jurisdiction within two weeks and not to return for 10 years.
Garda Laura McDermott previously gave evidence that Leela was leaving a party at the apartment block at 9pm when he encountered two children playing outside their block.
The children then went inside and the defendant signalled for the boy to let him inside, which he did. Leela then ran after the child and pulled him towards the door. He managed to push the boy out the door, with footage of the incident shown to Judge Nolan.
Garda McDermott explained that the boy’s sister ran out after her little brother and managed to push the defendant in the back into bushes. This was not captured on the CCTV footage, but came to light during the girl’s specialist Garda interviews.
The children then returned to the doorway and the footage showed Leela following them and crouching down to speak to them.
The girl buzzed her parents and the children went inside, returned home and told their parents what had happened. CCTV footage was obtained from the security hut and gardaí arrived within minutes.
Gardaí ascertained that Leela had been attending a party and the party’s host phoned him and suggested he return, which he did.
Garda McDermott said that when the defendant returned, he was steady on his feet, did not slur his words, there was no smell of alcohol and she did not believe he was intoxicated.
However, she agreed that a doctor suspended his detention for a number of hours after finding he was intoxicated.
Leela told gardaí he could not remember the incident, but accepted that it was him in the footage. He told them that he was from India and had come to Ireland in October 2023 on a student visa. He was due to complete his MBA at Dublin Business School and also worked part-time.
A victim impact statement prepared by the children’s parents was handed to the court and not read aloud.
Leela’s barrister told the court that although four drinks might not seem like a lot, his client never drinks alcohol. Counsel explained that Leela’s parents live in Qatar, he has no siblings, and he does not come from “any means”.
He said Leela had spent three months in custody following the incident and that his mental health is in dire straits.
“Threats have been made against his life. He has found this a very tough challenge. He doesn’t see much of a future.”
Counsel said his client offers his sincere apologies to the parents and the children involved. “He had a whole life planned ahead of him in Ireland, which is now gone,” he said. “If the court gives him the chance, he’ll be on a plane tomorrow ... He fully accepts that his life in Ireland is over.”
