A man (51) who sexually assaulted three women at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda while he was a patient there has been jailed.
Mihai Csiki, a Romanian national with an address in Germany, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of sexual assault with two other similar counts taken into consideration.
The court heard he sexually assaulted a then-74-year-old female patient on March 6th, 2022, when he pulled the curtains around her bed, placed his hand on her bare skin and moved his head towards her crotch area.
The victim was at first too traumatised to report the incident but later that evening disclosed what had happened.
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On the same day, the defendant sexually assaulted a 69-year-old woman when she had returned to her room after having a smoke outside. That incident was captured on CCTV.
In a victim impact statement, the woman described being left feeling very intimidated, fearful and scared by her ordeal and now becoming frightened when she sees men who resemble the defendant.
Judge Sinéad McMullan was also told that on March 5th, 2022, the defendant had sexually assaulted a third victim, in her 60s, as she left a changing room.
The court heard the defendant had been a patient in the hospital, as he had suffered palpitations after a 12-hour shift in a meat factory’s chill room and later drank brandy to warm himself up.
Defence barrister Feargal Kavanagh SC told the court the consumption of the brandy had affected his client’s judgment.
He said his client expressed genuine remorse for his actions and consented to being deported on his release from prison.
Speaking through an interpreter, the defendant apologised for his behaviour.
The judge noted the offences had been opportunistic and the victims had been vulnerable.
She expressed concern that a probation report had highlighted the defendant’s lack of remorse, but added his guilty plea was of benefit to the victims.
The judge sentenced the defendant to three years and eight months, backdated to April 30th, 2025, when he went into custody.
