Dublin woman pleads guilty to sexually assaulting her cousin’s 14-year-old daughter

A 27-year-old Dublin woman has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old female relative.

The court heard that the accused and the girl both claimed they loved one another at the time.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of sexual assaulting the girl at a house in Co Meath on dates between December 1st and 31st, 2010.

Garda Graham Weeks told Anne Rowland, prosecuting, the victim’s father went to gardaí when he found letters written by his daughter. He said the letters suggested she was having sexual relations with a cousin of his ex-wife’s.

The victim told gardaí her mother’s cousin had started to text her in June 2010, but that they had known each other all her life and she knew the accused was a lesbian.

Kissed
The girl said in October 2010 she went to McDonald's with her mother's cousin and her sister, and while there got a text from the accused asking to meet in the toilets. The accused kissed her in the cubicle and the girl said she was "in shock".

The girl said she went to stay with her mother in Co Meath in December 2010 and was sharing a bed with the defendant. The victim said she went to bed and when the accused joined her later she touched her private parts and put her finger into her. The girl said the same thing happened again later that week.

'A nice message'
The victim said the accused sent her "a nice message" and that they then started texting a few times a day and she developed feelings and felt like the accused was her girlfriend.

Garda Weeks said the letters, written on the girl’s counsellor’s suggestion, said she told the accused she was in love with her in summer 2010.

The girl also described how on another occasion she went to the accused’s house and they engaged in oral sex.

In a victim-impact statement, the girl said she felt “cheated and let down” by the accused.

Defence counsel Caroline Biggs SC said the accused has a deep regret and remorse for what she did to the victim, and said there was no use of threat, force or violence.

Judge Desmond Hogan asked for a probation report to be prepared and remanded the accused on bail for sentencing on October 18th next.