A man who followed a lady around for 30 minutes as she attempted to flee from him before sexually abusing her in Dublin’s city centre was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, reports RTE.
Five days prior, Adel Kerai, 26, had just arrived in Ireland when he noticed the 22-year-old lady waiting for her boyfriend outside an O’Connell Street store and decided he “fancied” her, according to testimony given at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
On December 10, 2023, Kerai, who does not have a fixed address in Dublin 1, entered a guilty plea to one count of sexually assaulting the lady on Henry Street.
According to the defence attorney, he is originally from Algeria and is applying for asylum in this nation, reports RTE.
At around 11 p.m., the woman was speaking on the phone with her lover, according to what the court heard.
Kerai managed to hang up the woman’s phone as she approached and struck up a conversation with her. Police Stephen Conran informed prosecutor Patrick McCullough BL.
She turned along Henry Street to avoid Kerai as she started to walk towards the GPO, but he followed her and wrapped his arm over her shoulders.
The woman was still attempting to get over Kerai as they strolled to the end of Henry Street.
At the end of the event, Kerai attempted to kiss the woman, reaching down to touch her genital area over her clothes with his hand before placing his erect penis against her, reports RTE.
The woman attempted to push Kerai away, but the court heard that he was too powerful.
That’s when her boyfriend called her back, and someone observed that she was weeping and went to help.
Upon seeing an irregularity, two gardaà on foot patrol also arrived at the area.
Prosecution of a portion of the offence shown on CCTV
According to the prosecution, the entire encounter lasted thirty minutes, and some of the offence was caught on camera.
Kerai was taken into jail right away and has been there ever since, reports RTE.
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