Attacker loses part of tongue in sexual assault

This article contains references to sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

By Fiona Ferguson

A victim of an aggravated sexual assault bit off part of her attacker’s tongue off during the ordeal, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Gerard Ward (48) was jailed for five years for the attack on Friday.

The court heard that Ward threatened the woman, who was giving him a lift, with rape before she was sexually assaulted. She bit down on his tongue as he kissed her before escaping the car.

Ward, with an address at Galtee Drive, Southill, Limerick, was convicted by a jury following a trial, of aggravated sexual assault at Raheen Business Park, Limerick on August 25, 2020.

Ward has previous convictions for robbery, road traffic and drugs offences. He was given a six year sentence in 2016 for robbery of a taxi driver in which threats to cause serious harm were made.

He also received a seven-year sentence in 2001 for kidnap and robbery charges.

Aggravated sexual assault is a sexual assault that involves serious violence or the threat of serious violence or is such as to cause injury, humiliation or degradation of a grave nature to the person assaulted. The maximum sentence for this offence is life imprisonment.

Evidence in this case was previously heard at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick.

The court previously heard the woman and Ward had been socialising with others and she was giving him a lift. Ward directed the woman, who was new to the area, to the business park where he told her to turn off the engine.

Ward made a threat to rape her before placing his hands on her throat and touching her vaginal area outside her clothing. As he was kissing her she bit down on his tongue and a “significant amount” of his tongue was bitten off.

Ward pulled her hair, leaving a bald patch, and during the trial said this was an effort to get her to release the bite. The woman escaped the car and spat out the piece of tongue.

She managed to ring the emergency services. She was also subjected to an assault by Ward in which she received bite marks and scratches to her body.

Ward claimed that the kissing was consensual and that he had not made any threats.

Gardai accepted at the sentence hearing that Ward answered all questions they put to him and that he had suffered life changing injuries. They accepted there had been no penetration and all the touching was outside the woman’s clothes.

Defence counsel told the court at an earlier hearing that Ward was remorseful. The loss of part of his tongue was significant and he had to relearn how to speak. Counsel asked for his injuries to be taken into consideration.

The court heard he had a difficult bringing and has lost five family members in recent times.

Passing sentence on Friday, in Dublin, Mr Justice Michael MacGrath commended the bravery and courage of the woman. He said he was acutely conscious of the trauma she had endured and hoped the effects of the ordeal will lessen in time.

Mr Justice MacGrath said Ward’s culpability was high. He said the threat of rape had been taken seriously and the woman was vulnerable and new to the area. Ward had asked her to drive to a remote area and taken advantage of her good nature.

The judge said the aggravating factors included Ward’s prior convictions, which included violent behaviour or elements of violence, but acknowledged some were historical and committed while he was a much younger man.

Mr Justice MacGrath set a headline sentence of seven years before considering mitigation, which included Ward’s age, his domestic and family situation, his recent employment history and medical issues. He reduced the sentence by 18 months and imposed five and a half years’ imprisonment.

He suspended the final six months in light of Ward’s acceptance of the jury verdict and general expression of remorse