Ex-Rochdale, Celtic, Barnsley, Luton, Brighton, Notts County player Paddy McCourt has been found guilty of sexual assault on a female.
The 39 year old, a father of three from Wheatfield Court, Muff County in Donegal, had faced a charge of sexual assault against a woman where it was alleged that someone had placed their hand up her skirt at a nightclub on the 30th of January 2022.
After a two-day hearing, District Judge Ted Magill found that there were “discrepancies” in some witness statements, as per Derry Now.
Former Northern Ireland international footballer Paddy McCourt has been found guilty of sexual assaulthttps://t.co/D3iPthQhzq
— BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) May 31, 2023
He said that you can have 12 witnesses and 12 different accounts of the same incident.
The judge said that the defence felt the police investigation had been ‘flawed’ and another male identified by the defence should have been arrested and tested for DNA.
He went on to say that DNA was not infallible and that ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.’
The judge said that the actions of the other male in the case ‘were not consistent’ with him having committed the offence.
He adds that ‘it follows it can’t be anyone other than the defendant’ who carried out the assault and so he found him guilty.
McCourt was released on bail to allow the preparation of a pre-sentence report and is to be sentenced on the 7th of July.
When giving evidence, ex-footballer Paddy McCourt said he went out on the night with mates and had drinks in a number of bars, but denied touching the complainant in a sexual manner.
He said he believed her when she said she had been sexually assaulted “but it was not by me”.
“There is no way I went anywhere near her, near her bum, her leg or anywhere else. I did not witness anyone touching a female, nor did I. I can’t actually remember this being any issue that night,” he told the District Judge, as per Belfast Telegraph.
Ex-Rochdale, Celtic, Barnsley, Luton, Brighton, Notts player found guilty of sexual assault
Defence barrister Eoghan Devlin said both the complainant and the defendant had been let down by the police and by the prosecution.
“He will walk away from this case, whatever the verdict, with a stain on his character but he is entitled to a proper investigation which clearly he did not get,” Devlin said.
Sexual abuse support
Whenever it happened to you it is never too late to get support for sexual violence or abuse. A list of helpline services is available below.
If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police.
If you are over the age of 16, living in England & Wales, and have been affected by any form of sexual violence or abuse, specialist and confidential support is available 24/7. Call 0808 500 2222 or visit https://247sexualabusesupport.org.uk to chat online or find out more.
If you can’t find the information you’re looking for or would like support as a victim of another type of crime, contact Victim Support’s 24/7 Supportline on 08 08 16 89 111 or live chat.
Sexual violence or sexual abuse are ways of describing any unwanted sexual act or activity.
It does not matter who commits it, where or when it happened, it is never okay, and no one ever deserves for it to happen.
If you have experienced sexual violence or abuse there is confidential and independent support available to help you.
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