'My heart drops': Boy sexually assaulted girl, 13, at sleepover in Limerick

A BOY who sexually assaulted a girl, 13, on a sleepover was before Limerick Circuit Court.

State Barrister John O’Sullivan, confirming the facts with Garda Lisa O’Connor, said that the pair had met up in 2022 to have a sleepover in Limerick at the boy's home - which was a regular occurrence at the time.

The boy was in sixth class of primary school , while the victim was in her first year of secondary school.

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The girl said in a garda interview that, on the night, the boy was acting “weird”, and asked if she wanted to have sex to see what it was like. The girl told gardaí: “I was like no. I will wait until I’m older because I was, like, literally 13 at the time”.

When the pair went to bed, she said she believed the boy was masturbating behind her, but she didn’t see him doing so as her back was turned. The boy moved her underwear to the side, and attempted to put his penis in her vagina. The boy also squeezed the girl’s buttock and her breast.

The girl then made disclosures of the assault to a friend, a youth worker and her mother.

The boy, 17, has pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault, and cannot be named due to reporting restrictions.

The girl said in her victim impact statement that following the assault, she experiences panic attacks and “horrible” flashbacks. “I just want to crawl out of my skin so that it will stop”, the girl wrote.

The impact statement, read by Mr O’Sullivan, said that she has “difficulty trusting or feeling safe with men”, “including her stepfather” and “male teachers”.

“When people say the word sexual assault or even sex, my heart drops”. The girl further wrote: “It is hard waiting for an update on the case, it puts me on edge."

“There were lots of times I felt I shouldn’t have disclosed”, the statement followed.

Previously, the children's mothers had been friends which changed after the disclosure of abuse. “Everybody took sides. We lost half our family”, the girl wrote.

The girl described the boy as being her “best friend”, and said that it was difficult to see him live as “normal”, following the assault. “I never got to live a normal teenage life like everyone around me and I’ll always resent that,” the statement concluded.

In a garda interview the boy made admissions, and said he believed her to be asleep at the time of the assault. When the boy was asked if he would have done it when she was awake, he said no.

In mitigation, BL Yvonne Quinn said the assault was “a once-off incident”, and that the boy has no previous convictions. She stated that he participates in pro-social activities, such as rugby, and that he has since engaged in counselling to learn about “healthy relationships”.

The barrister said: “He has let himself down, he has let his friend down, and his wider family”.

Referring to the victim, Ms Quinn said: “I’m conscious that she’s listening to this”, and noted that, “He was the one in the wrong, he was at fault”, not the girl.

Ms Quinn said the boy is “ashamed and embarrassed”. The barrister asked the court to note the teenager's age, and his right to education under the Children’s Act. Ms Quinn said he is undertaking his Leaving Cert in June.
Judge Colin Daly adjourned sentencing to a date in late March.

-Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme