Man in Donegal nursing facility charged with sexual assault of two women

Accused faces indictment over alleged sexual assaults at Donegal nursing facility.

A man has appeared in court charged with the alleged sexual assault of two women at a nursing facility in County Donegal.

The accused, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, stood before Judge Ciaran Liddy at Letterkenny District Court on Thursday afternoon.

Detective Garda Bobby Carey gave evidence of the man’s arrest, charge and caution earlier in the day at a location in Letterkenny. According to Carey, the man made no reply when the charges were formally put to him.

The allegations relate to two separate incidents involving two different women at the same nursing facility. The first alleged offence is said to have occurred between 1 December and 31 December 2022, while the second is alleged to have taken place between 1 December 2022 and 4 May 2023.

Both charges have been brought under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act.

Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed the case proceed to trial on indictment before the Circuit Court. This means the accused will face a higher court and, if convicted, could receive a significant custodial sentence.

Defence solicitor Patsy Gallagher said gardaí did not object to bail. Judge Liddy adjourned proceedings until 20 October, when a book of evidence is expected to be served on the accused.

The case has already drawn public attention in Donegal, both because of the serious nature of the charges and because of the setting in which they are alleged to have occurred. Nursing facilities are traditionally regarded as places of care and safety, particularly for vulnerable residents, and the allegations have caused deep concern among local families.

The alleged assaults, if proven, would represent serious breaches of trust within a professional environment designed to protect those in its care. Cases of sexual assault in such facilities are rare, but when they do surface, they provoke strong reactions from communities and often lead to closer scrutiny of safeguarding measures.

While the accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the charges alone are grave. The decision by the DPP to direct trial on indictment indicates that prosecutors consider the evidence sufficiently weighty to proceed before the Circuit Court, where more serious criminal matters are heard.

At this stage, the details of the allegations have not been fully aired in court, and reporting restrictions prevent identification of the man or the victims. Such anonymity is standard in sexual offence cases in Ireland, designed to protect the privacy and dignity of alleged victims as well as to ensure a fair trial for the accused.

The next hearing in October will see the formal service of the book of evidence, outlining the prosecution’s case in detail. The accused will then be returned for trial to the Circuit Court. It is at that stage that the full extent of the allegations will become clearer, subject to legal argument and judicial oversight.

For now, the community in Donegal waits as the case progresses through the courts. With two women alleging sexual assault within a setting meant to provide care, the matter has already cast a long shadow over the nursing facility at the centre of the case.