Donegal man facing over 170 sex charges takes ill

October 20, 2021

A Donegal man facing a litany of alleged sex charges has failed to appear by videolink at a District Court after taking ill.

Prison officers told the Judge that the man had taken ill in his cell and could not appear.

The case was adjourned until a later sitting of the court.

The accused faces more than 170 sex charges after being arrested at Dublin Airport two weeks ago.

The man was extradited from another country where he fled to in 2017 after being arrested by Gardai in connection with more than 170 charges – many of them of a sexual nature.

The charges include 10 counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, more than 100 hundred sex assaults and 12 charges of sexual exploitation of children.

A Detective Garda told a previous sitting of the District Court that he arrested the man on October 6th at 3.20pm at Terminal One of Dublin Airport.

He was arrested on foot of an arrest warrant, one of 175 such arrest warrants which had been issued.

The man’s solicitor had applied for bail but this was strenuously opposed by detectives.

They said they feared the man may interfere with witnesses in the case.

One detective told the court how he believed the accused had already tried to contact the alleged victims through a third party.

He also believed the man was a flight risk and would flee Ireland again if granted bail.

The Garda revealed how the man had “exhausted all avenues in resisting his extradition” from the country to which he had fled in 2017.

The detective outlined the severity of the charges against the man.

He also revealed that there was a number of charges of child exploitation relating to alleged incidents at a leisure centre.

The detective revealed how four juvenile complainants were interviewed by trained Gardai after the man was allegedly caught spying on them while they were getting changed.

It was also alleged that the man while filming the children on his mobile phone while masturbating.

LEAVE A COMMENT