An ‘energy healer’ from Co Longford has been jailed for 18 months after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman.

David Reilly (50), with a current address at Midlands Prison, Portlaoise, was found guilty of single counts of sexual assault and sexually offensive behavior following a trial at Longford Circuit Court in July.

Det Gda John Gormally told the court the client attended an energy healing session with Reilly in August 2021, which she said helped her symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

She attended another session, accompanied by her daughter, and said Reilly asked if she had been “taken advantage of” in the past. When the woman said she was, Reilly told her she was sexually blocked and would have to come back on her own.

The woman booked a third appointment with Energy Healing Ireland on 2 September 2021, which she attended alone. She said Reilly made her look into his eyes, take deep breaths and repeat the words “happiness” and “oh my God” in her head.

She said Reilly made her touch her lower and upper thighs and she could see he was awake. She said his hands were below her navel and going towards her pubic bone and she felt “dizzy, intimidated and sick”.

When other customers arrived, she said Reilly moved her to a couch and continued to rub her belly, telling her she had “five more blockages.” She said he later brought her into a “darker, back room” and pulled her arms behind her back. She said the ordeal ended when a receptionist waved through the door window to indicate other customers were waiting.

In a victim impact statement read by Det Gda Gormally, the woman said: “I had to listen to David Reilly and his associates make up the most shocking and appalling lies about me after swearing on the Bible that they were telling the truth.

“David Reilly’s actions re-traumatized me in terms of the abuse I suffered as a child, which I had already dealt with a long time ago and left in the past. The fact that David Reilly asked me if I had been taken advantage of in the past, and then used that information as a green light to sexually assault me, is something I found incredibly upsetting and disturbing.”

Gerard Groarke BL, for Reilly, sent a booklet including almost 80 testimonies, a letter from Reilly and a letter from his partner indicating how difficult life had been for her and their son since he entered custody. Twelve character references individually verified by the detective were read to the court by their authors.

Judge Kenneth Connolly said he was surprised by the “volume of evidence” given. He said “normally one or two would be enough” and if the sentence was appealed, “the Court of Appeal will not overturn it on the grounds that Mr Reilly is a nice guy”.

He said the trial had been “very difficult” for everyone involved “especially for the victim”.

A probation report provided to the court noted that Reilly claimed that “nobody wants to listen to him” and that he believed the allegations were malicious in nature. He showed no remorse or empathy and, despite being assessed as having a low risk of reoffending, he still denied the offense and “continued to blame the victim”.

Judge Connolly imposed a sentence of 27 months, with the last nine months suspended. It was backdated to July 31 when Reilly first entered custody.