Garda who sexually assaulted woman in Wicklow jailed for six years

Updated / Monday, 10 Feb 2025 15:11

RTÉ Courts Reporter

A garda who sexually assaulted and falsely imprisoned a woman at a station in Co Wicklow has been jailed for six years.

Garda William Ryan, 41, was last year convicted on three charges of sexual assault and one of falsely imprisoning the woman at Aughrim Garda Station in September 2020.

He had denied the charges but was convicted by a jury.

Today, his barrister told the court he now fully accepted his guilt on all charges.

He resigned from the force last September.

The woman had gone to the garda station to see Ryan for advice about how to get her car back after it was seized while her son was driving it.

Ryan helped with the process of retrieving the car but then said she would have to “repay the favour”.

The door to the station was locked, he prevented her from leaving and sexually assaulted her a number of times.

Judge Elma Sheahan said the principle of deterrence was important in sentencing as member of the public must have trust and confidence in gardaí.

She said an aggravating factor in the case was the breach of trust involving a garda and a member of the community he was there to serve and not abuse.

She assessed the offending at being at the upper end of the scale.

In her victim impact statement the woman told the court today that she had been “degraded and broken” by the trial process.

She said Ryan had broken her twice – first when he sexually assaulted her and again while defending the case against him.

She said she had never felt more uncomfortable or afraid as she was in the witness box and “private photos of me were handed around the courtroom, everyone had copies”.