Man who sexually assaulted woman and then blamed her for 'not covering up' found guilty
A man who bragged about being "tall and handsome" and denied sexually assaulting a woman outside a club by saying "she should have covered up" has been found guilty.
The Dublin District Court heard of how Richard Duncan, 42, of Carrig Villas, Greystones, Co Wicklow, targeted the victim, a medical student in her 20s, during a night out after Valentine's Day in 2017, according to the Herald.
She had come out of the nightclub with a friend in the early hours of February 15 and was walking along Camden Street when he passed them and "cat-called" her. "He said to me as he was walking by 'You're looking well,' or something like that," she told the court.
The two then came across Duncan again 30 minutes later as they walked back to the club after having food, and this time, he took things a step further, with the victim stating he "grabbed at me above my bum."
"I told him something along the lines of 'Go away,'" she said. "I was taken aback, I wasn't expecting it to happen. I was upset."
She said that, after the assault, she kept walking as she did not want to confront him because she was "too scared to start anything myself."
Her friend similarly told the court that they initially ignored Duncan's comments and that she was "shocked" when the victim turned to her and told her that the 42-year-old had grabbed her bum.
Around the same time, a car being driven by Gardaí, the police service of the Republic of Ireland, arrived at the scene. Detective Garda Orla Moynihan said she had seen the entire altercation and that she "observed him grab the backside and buttocks of the female in a red dress."
She said that, when she approached Duncan, "he told us to f**k off and we only work for Denis O'Brien [a billionaire businessman who is Ireland's richest native-born citizen]."
After his arrest, he reportedly said, "It's her own fault, she had nothing on. Not my fault, she didn't complain. I'm tall and handsome, women are chasing me. She should have covered up."
While his defense lawyer argued that the prosecution had not proved the assault was sexual in nature, a state solicitor said Duncan's comments that the victim "should have covered up" were "telling of the attitude of the accused and his actions."
Judge Paula Murphy found Duncan guilty of sexual assault and granted him bail. He is scheduled to be sentenced next year.