An airline passenger accused of sexually assaulting a cabin crew member and pulling her head to his groin during a Portugal to Dublin flight is to face a Circuit Court trial.
The man, in his 20s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Dublin District Court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the case remain in the District Court if the accused pleaded guilty.
Outlining the allegations, Garda Sergeant Niall Murphy told Judge Valerie Corcoran that the accused had been a passenger on the flight last March.
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He told the court that the allegation was that the man went to the galley area and kissed the female crew member on the cheek.
Sgt Murphy said the man then “grabbed her and pulled her head down toward his groin to the point where it was touching it”.
The court heard he subsequently used the toilet and then followed the same crew member, put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her from behind.
Judge Corcoran held that it was too serious to retain jurisdiction and that the case should be transferred to the Circuit Court, which can impose lengthier sentences.
The man, who did not address the court, was ordered to appear again in November to be served with the prosecution’s book of evidence and a return-for-trial order.
