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Two men charged over attack on sex abuser while he sat in courtroom dock

In the aftermath of the courtroom attack, the sexual abuser was bleeding and was taken to get medical treatment.

Ali Bracken

Today at 11:25

TWO men have been charged in relation to a courtroom attack on a convicted sex abuser while he sat in the dock awaiting sentencing.

The sentencing of a Dublin man for the sexual abuse of two girls on Monday was halted at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) after the abuser was assaulted in the dock in what the judge called a “serious breach of security”.

Two men approached the abuser in the dock while evidence was still being heard and a scuffle broke out.

The men were restrained and removed from the court room by prison staff and gardaí.

Two men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested and taken to the nearby Bridewell garda station.

When contacted, garda headquarters confirmed two men were later criminally charged in connection with the incident. A garda spokesman said: “Two adult males have been charged following alleged incidents of assault and public disorder at a session of the Criminal Courts of Justice on Monday, January 29th. As these matters are currently before the courts, An Garda Síochána will refrain from making any further comments at this time.”

Court records show that the two men, aged 48 and 38 and both with an address on Dublin’s northside, appeared in the CCJ on Monday afternoon.

The 48-year-old man was charged with a Section 2 assault on the sex abuser, who also cannot be named, while the 38-year-old was charged with threatening and abusive behaviour in the course of the incident.

Both men are due to appear in court again on February 19th.

In the aftermath of the courtroom attack, the sexual abuser was bleeding and was taken to get medical treatment.

The attack happened while the prosecuting garda was giving evidence of the abuse of the two girls. Mr Justice Paul Burns said the events represented “a serious breach of security” and what occurred would have to be investigated.

He said further steps may have to be taken to secure the safety of persons in the building.

The 46-year-old accused man was convicted following a Central Criminal Court last December of 11 counts of sexual abuse including sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, oral rape, anal rape, vaginal rape and sexual exploitation against one girl on dates between 2019 and 2020.

The girl was aged between 15 and 16 years old at the time.

He was also convicted of one count of causing a child to watch pornography in relation to a second teenage girl, aged between 14 and 15 years, in 2019.

After order was restored, Mr Justice Burns said what had taken place was unacceptable and represented a serious breach of security.

He noted the guilty man had been the subject of an assault and one of the injured parties, who was present at the time, was clearly traumatised by what occurred.

“I know emotions can rise high in Central Criminal Court cases but this is not an excuse for this type of behaviour,” Mr Justice Burns told those present.

He said he assumed appropriate steps would be taken in relation to what had happened.

The judge remanded the guilty man in continuing custody and adjourned the sentence hearing to continue on February 26, 2024.