A JUDGE STATED today that a Dubliner made “hugely racist comments” when racially abusing and punching one of Ireland’s best underage sportswomen on the chest on a bus.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan stated that Padraig Delaney (39) made “hugely racist comments and hugely insulting and demeaning comments” towards the teenager on 3 October 2018.

The girl of colour, aged 15 at the time of the assault, represents Ireland in team and individual sports and was returning home by bus in October 2018 from a sports event when assaulted by father of three, Padraig Delaney of Glenhill Rd, Finglas, Dublin 11.

The content of Delaney’s racist slur to the teen wasn’t revealed in open court, but Judge Durcan told Delaney “what you said was terrible and hurtful and a breach of the law in its own right and in this court we don’t tolerate”.

Judge Durcan told Delaney the sooner he understands and realises that everyone is equal despite people being of different colour and different characteristics.

Judge Durcan ordered Delaney to stand up to hear him read out the content of the teenager’s victim impact statement.

In her victim impact statement, the secondary school student now aged 17 stated that Delaney told her on the bus at Bunratty:

“I should be shot like the rest of us making a shooting gesture with his hands. He then made a racist comment and I asked him ‘What did you say?’ and he then hit me.”

The teen – who can’t be named by order of Judge Duncan – stated: “after he hit me a young man saw what he had done and attacked him”.

In her victim impact statement, the girl said that as a result of the attack: “I have been hesitant to use public transport and this has put tremendous pressure on my parents to bring me everywhere I have to go for training matches and competitions for the multiple sports I participate in.

Giving an outline of the facts, Sergeant Aiden Lonergan said that Delaney was drunk and kept putting his feet on the teenage girl’s lap on the bus and she repeatedly pushed his feet off her lap.

Lonergan said that Delaney racially abused the girl with a comment and punched her in the chest at Bunratty.

Delaney pleaded guilty to the assault of the girl on the date.

Delaney had €1,000 compensation in court for the teenager today and Judge Durcan convicted him of assault and also fined him €500.

Judge Durcan told Delaney: “I do know that when this happened you were severely under the influence of an intoxicant and at a time in your life when you were going through a huge amount of pressure.”

Judge Durcan stated however that was no excuse for what Delaney had done.

When the matter first became before the court last October, solicitor for Delaney, John Casey stated that Delaney had a recollection of the incident.

Casey said that when Delaney learned what he said and did to the girl “he was upset at himself, ashamed of himself, embarrassed by his actions on the day”.

Casey said that Delaney “has lived with, socialised with and worked with people of colour and he would consider that a number would be his friends and this has caused him extra upset because he says he has no racist bone in him and he doesn’t know where this came from. The community he lives in Dublin is a very mixed community”.

Casey said that Delaney, who is a qualified cabinet maker, hasn’t drank alcohol since. 

He said:

Mr Delaney is upset and what is most upsetting him is the impact his behaviour had on this young lady. She is obviously a very high achieving young lady at general sports and she shouldn’t have to put up with this. She did absolutely nothing to deserve it. Mr Delaney knows and accepts that she shouldn’t have to put up with this.

Casey added that Delaney is “upset at the upset he has caused this young girl and his upset is genuine. He is disgusted with himself. He didn’t know what he had said”.