A preliminary hearing for a 13-year-old boy accused of sexually assaulting four women and a teenage girl in Dublin as he cycled past has been adjourned for updated welfare reports.
The schoolboy faces five counts of sexual assault at two residential areas on three dates in March and April last year.
Dublin Children’s Court heard that the teen would have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and autism assessments, and reports were still awaited.
The case will resume in February for the material to be furnished to the juvenile court, which is considering his trial venue.
It was alleged three of the assaults happened on the same day.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has issued two directions.
The first, required due to the boy’s young age, confirmed the prosecution would proceed.
The second recommended “trial on indictment” in the circuit court, which has broader sentencing powers.
However, the juvenile court can accept jurisdiction for some serious offences by taking into account the defendant’s age, level of maturity and any other relevant factors.
Assaults
Earlier, Detective Garda Alan Davis outlined the facts alleged. He told Judge John Lindsay that on the first occasion, a woman was walking when she was approached from behind by a young man on a bicycle who “grabbed her by the bum and cycled on”.
The court heard that he sexually assaulted two other women and a teenage girl four days later.
The detective said the teen used the same method on the two women during incidents in the same locality but three hours apart.
Detective Garda Davis described the assault on the girl, in her mid-teens, as more aggravating. She was also approached from behind by a male on a bike.
However, she stated that the cyclist grabbed her bum and vaginal area.
It was alleged the girl shouted at him, but he replied, “Why are you shouting, sexy?”
Gardaí arrested and questioned him at a north Dublin Garda station 10 days later.
They released him for a file to be prepared for the DPP.
However, it was claimed that he then sexually assaulted a mother collecting her child from creche almost three weeks later. Detective Garda Davis alleged the boy cycled past her and grabbed her bottom.
The defence has asked Judge Lindsay to note the boy’s age. He has no prior criminal convictions and only one of the complainants identified him, counsel said.
The detective agreed that apart from the assault involving the teenage girl, the incidents were on the lower end of the scale.
A report from family therapy sessions was handed into court. Counsel said it detailed “complex issues” in his life.
Judge Lindsay described the allegations as “reprehensible behaviour” and said they indicated a “worrying” trend.
The boy, accompanied to the proceedings by his father, was remanded on continuing bail.
He has to obey conditions: no contact with complainants, a curfew and he must stay away from the areas where the alleged incidents occurred.