Clare man to be sentenced for masturbating on early-morning train service

A CLARE man has pleaded guilty to sending lewd pictures of himself to three ‘random’ females, including one from Limerick, and committing a solo sex act in public on the early-morning Galway to Limerick train service.

At Ennis District Court, Sergeant Louis Moloney said that one of the injured parties who witnessed the man masturbating on the 6.15am Galway to Limerick service on February 20, this year videoed the incident and handed over the recording to gardai.

Sgt Moloney said gardai boarded the train at Gort after a complaint was received regarding the indecent incident which occurred on the early-morning train service between Oranmore and Athenry.

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Sgt Moloney said that two people who witnessed the incident subsequently made statements to gardai.

The offence on the train came only nine days before the 39-year-old defendant made his first appearance in court, on March 1, concerning the sending of lewd images of himself to females.

In relation to the first offence, the man randomly selected a County Kerry woman’s phone number before sending her a lewd image of himself on October 16, 2020.

Sgt Moloney said the woman made a complaint to gardai in Killarney that she received the image of her phone at 12.50am on October 16, 2020 from a man she didn’t know.

In another case, the man pleaded guilty to "intentionally engaging in offensive conduct of a sexual nature by sending an image of his erect penis via WhatsApp" to a female living in Limerick in such a manner to cause fear, distress or alarm to another person. That offence occurred on May 1, 2021.

The man has also pleaded guilty to "intentionally engaging in offensive conduct of a sexual nature by sending an image of his erect penis via WhatsApp" to another woman who was living in Dublin on May 4, 2021

The charges are contrary to Section 45(3) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.

Sgt Moloney said that when interviewed by gardai, the man made full admissions.

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Judge Alec Gabbett said that he required a Probation Report into the case. "I need to know what is going on here,” he commented.

Solicitor Stiofan Fitzpatrick, for the accused, said that he had a similar case previously where medication was required to deal with a client’s compulsion. Mr Fitzpatrick said all of the incidents occurred when his client was “highly intoxicated”.

He told the court his client sent the images to random individuals and the women who made complaints all live outside of County Clare.

“There was no sophistication here. His number was easily identifiable and traceable to him," he said.

Judge Gabbett - who previously imposed reporting restrictions in the case to protect the identities of the women - remanded the man on continuing bail to next March for a Probation Report. 

As a condition of bail the man must not engage in social media communications with any females unknown to him and be of good behaviour.

He must sign on weekly at his local garda station and he is not have any contact with the injured parties.