Father of five jailed for sexual assault of two women in chip shop

A man who sexually assaulted two young women within minutes of each other in a chip shop queue last year has been jailed for six months.

Michael Harty (32), a married father of five from Rossmanagher Road, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, was sentenced on Wednesday for what Judge Patrick Durcan called “vile offences” involving women aged 19 and 23.

Det Garda Stephen Ryan told Ennis District Court that Harty grabbed the genitalia of the women in two separate incidents in a queue at Big Bites chipper in Shannon on April 4th last.

He said that when challenged by friends of the first victim, Harty denied it and said, “I didn’t do anything. I am a married man with small children.”

Det Ryan said it was Harty’s birthday on April 4th and he had a lot to drink. He said Harty had 52 previous convictions but none for any sexual-related offence.

Harty pleaded guilty to the charges and was placed on the sex offenders register by Judge Durcan, who said the defendant “had behaved in a totally unacceptable way in violating the two women”.

“The effect on these ladies is lifelong.”

Judge Durcan imposed a three-month jail term for each offence to run consecutively.

‘Violated’

In her victim impact statement, the 23-year-old woman said she “felt extremely violated after being assaulted”.

The incident left her feeling “completely disrespected” and had “created a new awareness in me about potential violators”.

The 19-year-old victim in her statement stated that she felt “very, very violated” by Harty’s assault.

She said that Harty came into her place of work a number of times following the assault and she had to leave early because she was so upset about being around him.

“I didn’t realise at the time that the assault would have such an effect on me that it has had . . . What happened has left me feeling very upset and constantly on edge.”

Harty’s solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said her client “was drunk and he didn’t know what he was doing” and apologises unreservedly.