A 32-yr-old man, Marius Lacatus, has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting and threatening a woman as she walked to work early in the morning, reports Breaking News.
Lacatus attacked the woman from behind, forcibly dragging her to a park where he sexually assaulted her and threatened her life before passers-by intervened, causing him to flee.
The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was informed that gardaí located Lacatus nearby, hiding under a bridge, but he was too intoxicated to be questioned immediately. He claimed no recollection of the incident, reports Breaking News.
Lacatus, who has no fixed address, admitted guilt for sexual assault and making threats to kill or cause serious harm to the woman, a fellow foreign national, in Dublin on August 19th, 2024. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
He has prior convictions for robbery and domestic violence from Romania, his home country, reports Breaking News.
During sentencing on Friday, Judge Martin Nolan stated that Lacatus had seized the woman, physically assaulted her to some degree, and then sexually assaulted her, reports Breaking News.
Judge Nolan described the attack as abrupt and unforeseen, noting that the woman was justifiably terrified, reports Breaking News.
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He reviewed the victim’s impact statement, which he found to be restrained and fair.
Judge Nolan emphasized that intoxication does not excuse such actions, reports Breaking News.
He acknowledged that the maximum penalty for sexual assault is 10 years and established a headline sentence of eight years, citing the violence and sudden nature of the crime as aggravating factors.
Considering Lacatus’s guilty plea, disadvantaged background, expressed remorse, and solid work history, the judge reduced the sentence to five and a half years, reports Breaking News.
An investigating garda reported that the woman was walking to work in the early morning when Lacatus attacked her from behind, placing his arm around her neck and dragging her to a secluded park area.
Lacatus told the woman “I am going to kill you” before pinning her to the ground and placing his hand inside her underwear. Her screams alerted another woman who contacted gardaí and assisted her, prompting Lacatus to flee, reports Breaking News.
The court learned the assault lasted approximately two minutes.
The woman submitted a victim impact statement but preferred it not be read publicly in court, reports Breaking News.
Philipp Rahn SC, defending Lacatus, noted that his client had been in Ireland since 2021, employed in cleaning and construction jobs. He is a father of two children who do not reside with him.
Rahn explained that Lacatus had a challenging and impoverished upbringing in Romania. He has epilepsy and is receiving medication while in custody.
He urged the court to consider Lacatus’s expressed remorse and shame, as well as the difficulties of serving a sentence in Ireland as a foreign national, reports Breaking News.
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