Man jailed for five years for sexual assault in victims home

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

By Eimear Dodd and Sonya McLean

A man who sexually assaulted a woman in her own home has been jailed for five years.

Karl Adams (53) of Portland Street, North Circular Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to sexual assault in June 2019 in Co. Dublin.

Anne Rowland SC, prosecuting, told the court that while the woman does not want to be identified in reporting the case, she has no issue with Adams being named in court reports.

Imposing sentence, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said the case had been delayed because Adams failed to show up for his trial in June 2019.

He was ultimately arrested after a bench warrant was issued and that was executed in December 2024. He pleaded guilty to the offence in January of this year.

She said the woman had woken up to find Adams tugging at her leggings. She told him to stop and fell back asleep but she woke a second time to find him sexually assaulting her.

Ms Justice Greally noted from a victim impact statement before the court that the sexual assault had a “profoundly damaging impact” on her life. She noted the victim said she lost her trust in people in general, struggled to sleep and suffered constant flashbacks of the assault.

The victim also said in her statement that she used to be carefree and free-spirited but she is now socially isolated and depressed, the judge noted.

A probation report before the court put Adams at a moderate risk of re-offending in general.

Ms Justice Greally acknowledged that Adams now accepts the harm he has caused the victim but the probation report concluded that he lacks insight and to some extent minimises his actions.

She accepted evidence that Adams has struggled with alcohol addiction most of his life and abused drugs.

Ms Justice Greally set a headline sentence of 80 months. She reduced the sentence to 70 months having taken into account his plea of guilty. She acknowledged that he is now a registered sex offender, which she said carries with it limitations and stigma that will remain with him for the rest of his life.

Ms Justice Greally suspended the final 12 months of the 70-month term on condition that he engage with the Probation Service upon his release from prison.

Ms Justice Greally wished the woman well into the future.

“I know this process has taken much longer than it should have – very much down to his own actions – but I hope the conclusion has brought you some comfort and you can move on with your life,” Ms Justice Greally said, addressing the woman in court.

The court heard that the evening before this incident occurred, the woman and other family members had been for dinner and drinks.

They later went to the house where the man was living at the time for some more drinks.

While in his home, the man told the victim that he loved her and her family, pulling her in for a hug.

The man became argumentative with his partner during the night and this woman told him to leave around 4am.

The victim returned to her home around 5am and was preparing to go to bed when the man arrived, asking to stay.

She reluctantly let him stay in her son’s bedroom, while she went to sleep in a room shared by her daughter and grandchild.

The woman woke up to the man pulling down her leggings. Her daughter asked him what he was doing and the woman told him to leave the room.

She fell asleep and later woke up due to pain in her anal region. She realised the man was rubbing his penis against her anus but the court heard there is no allegation of anal rape.

She pushed him away, then shouted for her daughter who was downstairs.

The man was sitting at the end of the bed and apologised, telling her daughter he thought it was his then-partner. Her daughter ordered him from the room and he later left the house.

She fell asleep, waking up later in the day. She was still in pain several days later and told her daughter what had happened.

A complaint was made to gardai and she was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit.

When interviewed, Adams admitted going to the victim’s house. He said they had some drinks and she called him into her room to check on him, before he went to sleep in another room.

Adams had been due to stand trial in late 2023, but a bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court on his trial date.

The bench warrant was executed in late December 2024 and he has been in custody since then. He has 24 previous convictions, primarily for road traffic offences – all at the District Court.

The investigating garda agreed with John Fitzgerald SC, defending, that none of his client’s previous convictions are for sexual offending.

It was further accepted that all parties had been drinking on the night of this incident and the plea was of value.

In a victim impact statement read by Jane McCudden BL, prosecuting, the woman said she is now a victim of his “inhumane” crime.

She said she suffers with flashbacks, night terrors, trust issues and feelings of fear.

She said her home is a “constant reminder” of what had happened and she is looking to move.

The woman said she had questioned why he did it, and “what I did do to deserve it?” She said she had questioned how he could do such “inhumane things that ruin the life of so many people” and worried it could have been her daughter.

She said she was once a “free spirit” but has withdrawn from life. She said she didn’t want to be a victim, but a survivor.

A letter of apology, medical report and governor’s report were handed to the court.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client’s relationship broke down and he moved out, experiencing a short period of homelessness.

He has a good work history, most recently as a painter and decorator.

His client developed an alcohol addiction as a teenager and while drink was not an excuse, it was part of the background of the offence, counsel said, suggesting this was a “one-off, fuelled by alcohol”.

His client has started to address his addiction while in custody.