Sex Attacker Avoids Jail By Paying Compensation

A 29-year-old man who committed a violent sexual attack on a teenager he met in a chip shop has avoided jail on condition he pay €15,000 to the girl.

Graham Griffiths told gardaí he felt he was “under some magnetic force” and “it must have been the hormones” that caused him to attack the 17-year-old girl.

Griffiths had been at a party the previous night and later admitted to gardaí he had taken hallucinogenic drugs along with alcohol.

Griffiths, of The Saltings, Annagassan, Co Louth, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting the girl on April 17 2011.

He is originally from Dublin but has been living in Louth with his girlfriend for the last six years.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed a four-year sentence, which he suspended in full on conditions including that he pay €15,000 to his victim within one year “to bring home the seriousness of what he has done”.

Judge Nolan noted that while Griffiths was collecting this money or repaying loans to family, he would have little or no money to spend on drink or drugs. He said if the woman did not wish to receive the money the court would decide where it would go.

A spokeswoman for the Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Cliona Saidlear, said: “Mr Griffiths seems to have a hatred of women and said he wanted to bring the victim down to his level. For us in the RCNI, this shows the man has an unhealthy attitude towards women, which was not brought on by drugs.”

Ms Saidlear said that while compensation had its place in the legal system, it could never be seen as a substitute for rehabilitation of the perpetrators of sexual assaults.

“Here’s someone who would benefit from probation and access to perpetrators treatment programmes. He seems to have a range of psychological and social problems and they should be addressed.”

(H)