A JUDGE HAS jailed a man for seven years after describing how he stalked a woman from a late-night bus before sexually attacking her in a park.
During the attack in December 2016 Eduard Boaca (then aged 21) told the woman he had a knife and threatened to kill her unless she gave him a “blow-job”.
Six months later Boaca trapped a woman in a McDonald’s restaurant toilet cubicle. He told the woman he had a knife and again demanded oral sex.
The victim in this case told Boaca what he was doing was wrong and persuaded him not to carry out the attack. She got him to promise not to do it again and he let her go.
Boaca of Clonee, Co Meath, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery and sexual assault of the woman at a location in Clonee on 18 December 2016. He also pleaded guilty to the false imprisonment of a woman at McDonald’s on Grafton St, Dublin, on 4 May last.
Judge Martin Nolan imposed a five-year sentence for the first offence. He imposed a sentence of four years on the later offence, which must run consecutively because Boaca committed this offence while on bail for the earlier one.
Judge Nolan said he would suspend the final two years of the sentence in the hope that Boaca will reform and rehabilitate himself. Boaca’s previous convictions are for minor offences.
Nitelink
The court heard that the first incident began as a robbery when Boaca followed the woman off the Nitelink bus. During the robbery he touched her breasts and under her dress. He then threatened her and demanded oral sex.
He told her if she didn’t do what he said “bad things” would happen. The woman managed to get away and ran out in front of a passing taxi.
The court heard that in the second incident Boaca hid in a cubicle of the women’s toilets late at night with the intention of sexually assaulting a woman.
After trapping a woman in a cubicle he told her “do what I say, I have a knife” and demanded oral sex.
Garda Wayne Carey said the victim was a “strong lady” and was able to talk Boaca down. He told her he was doing this because his girlfriend had broken up with him and the victim told him it was “not ok”.
Boaca began crying and agreed to promise not to do it again before letting her leave. The ordeal lasted around 15 minutes.
Trust affected
In a victim impact statement she said the incident has affected her trust in men. She said she never goes into public bathrooms alone anymore.
The victim of the 2016 attack said that she couldn’t sleep for weeks afterwards and was afraid to leave her home on her own for months. She couldn’t return to college because she was afraid to travel over and back on public transport.
She said the locks to her home had to be changed because her keys and passport were in the handbag taken by Boaca. She said this and the stolen mobile phone left her with a €1,100 financial loss.
Michael Bowman SC, defending, said his client had been drinking for a protracted period at the time of the first attack. He said he had broken up with his girlfriend and that as a result of a row with his parents he ended up living on the streets.
Judge Nolan said that Boaca came from a good family and was capable of reform. He said that he had expressed genuine remorse.
“What sparked off this behaviour is a mystery. The only explanation was that he had broken up with his girlfriend. I find that hard to believe,” Judge Nolan said.
He said that Boaca’s decision to stop the attack in the toilet cubicle showed that he had insight into pain and suffering.
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