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A BRAZILIAN man entered a sleeping housemate’s bedroom after a party and sexually assaulted her, Limerick Criminal Court heard.

The accused, who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a house in Limerick in April 2020.

Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by State Attorney Padraigh Mawe, presented evidence with police assistance Denise McCarthy. The accused is 40 years old, the victim 30 years old.

Mr O’Sullivan said there was a small party on the night when the victim was moving out.

The court heard the victim is an Asian woman who lived at the residence with two married Brazilian couples – one of whom is charged.

Mr O’Sullivan said the victim went to bed at 1am.

“Two others, including the accused, remained standing. Sometime after 3am, he walked into her bedroom uninvited. She woke up to find him in her room and he continued to sexually assault her.

“He suddenly grabbed her breasts and touched her breasts while masturbating. He tried to insert his penis into her vagina. She pushed him out.

“He put his fingers in her vagina and tried to masturbate her. She shouted ‘help’ but no one heard her,’ Mr O’Sullivan said.

The barrister said the next day the victim left the address and spoke to a friend before reporting the sexual assault to Gardaí.

He said the accused and the victim may not have known each other well because of a language barrier. A Portuguese interpreter was in court. The victim did not participate.

Mr O’Sullivan said the accused came to Limerick to study English in 2019. After he was arrested in July 2020, he denied the allegation and told police he was “never in her bedroom”.

Mr O’Sullivan said the victim attended a sexual assault treatment unit following the incident.

The lawyer said the accused man’s DNA was found on the victim’s underwear and there was “no innocent explanation” for it. There were also neck and breast injuries.

Garda McCarthy said he approached the woman asking if she wanted to provide a victim impact statement, adding that she refused. “He suffered a lot with his mental health and was unable to see it through,” she told the court.

The defendant, she confirmed, has no previous convictions.

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Amy Nix BL asked the court to note her client’s guilty plea and, in mitigation, she spoke of the significant value of a plea in sexual assault cases as the victim does not have to be re-traumatised in the witness box.

“This appears to be a one-off, albeit a very serious one. He came here to learn English and worked hard for the past four years.

“He and his wife, with whom he lived in the house, went their separate ways for separate reasons. He has remarried and his wife is waiting to return to Brazil once it is over. He has remorse. I was trained to say he was sorry,” Ms. Nix said.

Judge Elva Duffy indicated she would impose the sentence later this month as she needed time to consider her verdict.