R v L (Approved)

                  This case comes before the court for an assessment of damages, the plaintiff having obtained judgment in default of appearance against the defendant on 2 December 2024.

                  There was no appearance by the defendant when the case came on for hearing before the High Court sitting in Waterford.

                  The plaintiff gave evidence before the court. His case is that he was sexually abused by the defendant when he was nine years of age. He stated that he was friendly with the defendant's son. He used to go to the home of the defendant to play with his son and on occasions had sleepovers in the house.

                  The plaintiff stated that while he was asleep in bed in a room in the defendant's house, the defendant came into the room and started kissing him on the neck and face; he then proceeded to touch the plaintiff's genitals. On subsequent occasions, the defendant proceeded to perform oral sex on the plaintiff.

                  The plaintiff stated that on other occasions, the defendant would call him in from the garden where he was playing with the defendant's son. He would proceed to sexually assault him in a similar manner to that described above. The plaintiff stated that this abuse took place between the months of March and September 1998. He stated that in all he was assaulted on approximately 10/15 occasions.