Serial sex offender jailed for sexually assaulting a boy after taking him on a drive to the Wicklow mountains

By Jessica Magee

A man has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy whom he befriended and plied with gifts of money, alcohol and cigarettes.

Kevin Brazil (53) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of sexually assaulting the boy on a date between January and July 2020 at Blessington Lakes, Co Wicklow.

Brazil, with an address at Wainsfort Manor Grove, Wainsfort Manor, Terenure, Dublin 6, is already serving a total of eight years in prison for previous multiple convictions of sexual assault.

At his sentence hearing today/yesterday (TUES), the court heard that Brazil also has a previous conviction in France for sexually assaulting a minor aged under 15.

Sergeant Kevin Drennan told Monika Leech BL, prosecuting, that Brazil was arrested in July 2020 after he was stopped in a car in the Dublin area with a juvenile.

The accused had been on bail for other offences at the time.

Gardaí became aware that another boy, the injured party in this case, had previously been in the car.

This boy, who had just turned 13, later made a statement to gardaí, but declined to give a victim impact statement.

The victim said he came to know Brazil through a teenage friend, and that Brazil would pick them up and bring them off in the car to in various places, including, on one occasion, LeisurePlex in Tallaght.

The boy told gardaí that Brazil would give them smokes, drink and money and would bring them up around the mountains and the area around Saggart.

On the date of the offence, Brazil picked up the victim and his friend and drove to the Blessington Lakes, giving both boys a litre of the drink Wicked each and boxes of cigarettes.

Brazil also had some “weed” for himself, the court heard.

The victim told gardaí that he felt dizzy and wanted to go home and that he had cuts on his legs from going through the bushes in his shorts.

He said Brazil told him not to be picking his cuts and then rubbed him on the leg.

The boy jumped back and told Brazil to go away, telling gardaí that it made him uncomfortable and he didn’t want Brazil to touch him and he wanted to go home.

The boy told gardaí he didn’t know how much money Brazil had given him but said he would always split it 50/50 with his friend.

Gardaí analysed Brazil’s phone and found evidence of seven calls between Brazil and the boy on one date and other calls on three other dates along with text messages between them.

The boy’s mother told gardaí that she saw a “massive change” in her son after the offences and that he had withdrawn a lot and expressed anger.

She said her son had stopped all sports, had stopped hanging around with his friend and had become very anxious.

Counsel for the defence said Brazil got a substantial sentence in 2004 but was then of good behaviour until around 2020 and had been working in a supermarket for a time.

The accused told the court via video link that he has studied homecrafts, cooking, leathercraft and pottery while in custody and is working in the prison office.

Counsel said Brazil is also availing of psychological services within the prison and is working hard to address his offending.

Judge Martin Nolan agreed with counsel that the sexual assault of touching the boy on the leg was on the lower end of the scale in terms of offending, but said it had to be taken in the context of the accused buying the boy cigarettes and drink.

Judge Nolan said while he noted what the boy’s mother had said, there was no victim impact statement from the child.

The judge added that although this offence did not lead to a more serious sexual assault, Brazil has a complicated and serious history of sexual offending.

Brazil was sentenced to 15 months, backdated to last January.

The court heard that Brazil is not due for release in relation to his other charges until January 2027.