A Brazilian national has appeared in court in Dublin charged with the sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl, in a case that has also linked him to other alleged incidents involving children in the capital .
The 27-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded in custody after a judge refused bail at Dublin District Court earlier this week . He is accused of approaching the child as she played with a friend in a north Dublin laneway on February 15th .
According to evidence presented in court, the man, who was working as a Deliveroo rider at the time, got off his electric bike and engaged the girls in conversation . Garda Grainne Raggett told the court that, during a specialist interview, the child alleged the man asked her “could he do something” before pulling down her underwear and touching her . The court heard he touched her hip and the area below her navel with “shaking hands” . It is further alleged that he then took a phone call, told the child “he was done,” and left the scene on his bike . The girl and her friend ran home and raised the alarm, leading to an investigation by specialist Garda detectives .
A Brazilian National with No Legal Status
Central to the court proceedings was the accused’s background as a Brazilian national. The court was told he came to Ireland via the United Kingdom approximately two years ago and has no legal status in the country . Gardaí opposed bail, arguing he posed a significant flight risk, citing his lack of ties to Ireland, with all of his family remaining in Brazil .
Defence counsel Ciara Murray acknowledged her client had “made his life here” and had stable accommodation, pleading for strict bail conditions . However, Judge Michele Finan upheld the Garda objection, noting the seriousness of the charge and remanded the man in custody .
Further adding to the state’s concerns, a search of the man’s home uncovered a foreign driving licence, which Gardaí alleged was false and linked to a deceased person . The accused, who has since been dismissed by Deliveroo, is also charged with possessing this false Portuguese driving licence . He told Gardaí he did not know the licence was false and made no reply when charged with the sexual assault .
Linked to Other Incidents
The court also heard the man is a suspect in two other “suspicious approaches” made to young girls in the same area of north Dublin within a five-day period last month . GPS data from his Deliveroo app placed him at the locations of these incidents, as well as at the scene of the alleged sexual assault, at the relevant times . In one of those incidents, a child reportedly managed to scream and run away, while in the other, the man allegedly tried to grab a young girl’s hand . No charges have yet been filed in relation to these incidents, and directions are being sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions .
The man, who denies the charge of sexual assault, was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court via video link on March 18th .
