By Ronan Judge

A student has told a court how she developed sleep-paralysis and relives nightly the “suffocating” feeling of being sexually assaulted by a man she believed to be a taxi driver in Galway.

The woman said at around 2.30am on February 15, 2024, after a night out in Galway she got a lift home from the city in a car she thought was a taxi.

However she said instead of being bring to her accommodation the driver brought her to a “secluded car-park”.

She told Galway District Court she sat “frozen” as the man came into the backseat of the car, put his hand on her thigh and pushed his tongue into her mouth.

The woman said she was “terrified” and after she pushed him away he returned to the driver’s seat and asked her why she was crying.

Of the impact of the assault, the woman, who was 18 at the time, said she had feelings of guilt and shame and felt uncomfortable any time people looked at her.

She said she developed sleep-paralysis and “relives the assault” nightly in her bedroom with the same “suffocating feeling” of the man’s tongue in her mouth and his hand on her thigh.

When she found out the man added her to an Instagram account a few days after the assault, “it felt like a complete invasion of privacy”, she said.

She said the assault has consumed her life for the past 18 months and her sense of safety and ability to move through the world, had been stolen.

The 31-year-old man pleaded guilty to a sexual assault contrary to section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Amendment Act.

Sergeant Damien Prendergast said the woman reported the incident to Gardaí and it was established the man was not a taxi driver.

He admitted, under caution, that “something like kissing had happened” when he dropped the victim home.

Defence solicitor, Brian Gilmartin, said he wanted to explain to the court there was nothing “sinister” about how his client met the victim.

He said that his interpretation of the statements provided by Gardaí, was that the woman had a few drinks in town and his client happened to be in the area when someone asked him if he would give her a lift home.

Mr Gimartin said his client said yes and this was not a case where he was “hanging around”.

He said he did not want the court to get the impression his client was “prowling around” Galway City looking for victims.

“This wasn’t a pre-mediated act. He was not holding himself out as a taxi driver to prey on women”, he said.

“My client was trying it on with her and in the course of so doing, she told him to back off and he did”, Mr Gilmartin added.

Mr Gilmartin said he was in no way downplaying the seriousness of the offence and the impact of the victim.

He said his client had tendered an apology to the victim.

He said the fact his client contacted the woman on Instagram showed a certain “naivety” on his part.

Sgt Prendergast said he wanted to tell the court that her in statement, the victim said that after being brought to her accommodation, the man “held out a card machine for me to pay”.

She said the fare was €12 but the transaction did not go through.

Mr Gilmartin said his client “never held himself out as a taxi driver” and had not been prosecuted for any such offence.

He told the court that English was not the accused’s first language and a Turkish interpreter would be required so the man could fully understand what is said in court.

Sgt Prendergast said this had already been a “very traumatic experience” for the victim and the State did not want the case to be delayed any further.

Judge Adrian Harris said the victim impact statement made for harrowing reading.

Adjourning the case to February 3, 2026, Judge Harris directed a probation report and asked that its preparation be given priority.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.