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12th Sep 2021

13-year-old boy appears in court for alleged sexual assaults on 5 females

Laura Grainger

The assaults allegedly took place in March and April of this year.

A 13-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with a string of alleged sexual assaults on five females in Dublin.

The boy appeared at the Dublin Children’s Court for five counts of sexual assault, alleged to have occurred at two locations in March and April.

Three of the incidents are reported to have allegedly taken place on the same day.

The boy was granted bail with conditions that include no contact with the complainants, obeying a curfew and staying away from the locations where the incidents are alleged to have taken place.

He was also granted legal aid.

Judge Paul Kelly ordered him to appear in court again in October, but a decision on his trial venue is yet to be made.

Under section 75 of the Children Act, Dublin Children’s Court can accept jurisdiction for serious offences (excluding murder) by taking into account the age and maturity level of the defendant.

The news comes after a 15-year-old boy appeared in court on Thursday for the alleged rape of a then-13-year-old girl who had been at a sleepover with a friend at his home.

Figures released by the CSO show that in 2019 and 2020, the vast majority (99%) of sexual offences were committed by males and one-in-five (20.8%) of those males were under 18.

If you have been affected by any of the details of this article, you can contact Women’s Aid’s 24 hour helpline on 1800 341 900, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on  1800 77 8888, or Childline on 1800 66 66 66.