Victim bravely details devastating impacts of sexual assault by childhood friend in Waterford
Waterford Courthouse
Last week, a 34-year-old man was jailed for sexually assaulting a woman in county Waterford in 2022.
The man is a childhood friend of the victim, and the assault took place in the woman’s home.
During the sentencing hearing in Waterford Courthouse, the victim delivered a powerful impact statement, which detailed how her life has changed since the devastating assault took place.
"I wanted it all to be a bad dream," her statement said.
The incident occurred on October 23, 2022.
The court heard that during a social gathering with family members at a bar that night, the woman was in a distressed and vulnerable state.
It was under these circumstances that the offender approached her, offering her a lift back to her home in the Tallow area.
The victim and the offender were described in court as being childhood friends.
The offender dropped the woman to her home and briefly left, before arriving back at the door later to ask for a cigarette.
The victim said she felt obliged to invite the man into her home because he had given her a lift.
Whilst in the house, he sexually assaulted the woman on a couch.
“It was like he pounced,” the woman explained.
She said she felt paralysed, trapped and powerless during the assault.
Two people well-known to the victim arrived at the front door shortly after.
The victim said she ran to the door to let them in and broke down crying. She asked that they remove the man from the house.
The man was later arrested and interviewed by gardaí.
He made no admissions.
The victim outlined to the court that the incident has had a devastating impact on all aspects of her life.
She has since suffered from symptoms of PTSD, recurring nightmares, and difficulties sleeping.
She said that because she lives in the same town as her assailant that she would sometimes see him. She recalls experiencing panic attacks when this would happen.
Resultingly, she now feels uncomfortable being in public, and has avoided activities and social gatherings. She struggles to trust people, and is now constantly looking over her shoulder.
Since the assault, she has turned down a promotion at her place of work because she felt the new position would likely lead to run-ins with members of the assailant’s family.
She has also moved out of the house where the assault took place, saying that she no longer felt comfortable living there.
The criminal justice system has caused considerable stress and anxiety for her, and has often been overwhelming and difficult, she said.
The victim said she decided to speak up because she wanted to ensure other women did not have to go through what she did.
In March 2026, the man pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault.
Last week, he appeared in Waterford Circuit Court to receive his sentence from Judge Eugene O’Kelly.
Judge O'Kelly said the victim has displayed “confidence and dignity", and he commended her for speaking up despite the stress it has caused her.
He described her victim impact statement as "powerful".
The judge said that the man severely breached her trust. It is an aggravating factor that the assault took place in the woman's home, Judge O'Kelly added.
He said it is disturbing that in the offender's probation report he denied aspects of the victim’s account.
The offender has previous convictions, including for breaching barring orders.
He has other convictions for assault, criminal damage, public intoxication and possession of drugs.
The man was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, with the final 12 months suspended.
The name of the offender has been omitted from this report to protect the anonymity of the victim.
