Adel Kerai, a 26-year-old Algerian national, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman in Dublin city centre. The incident occurred just five days after Kerai arrived in Ireland, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Kerai, who has no fixed abode in Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault that took place on Henry Street on December 10, 2023. The court was informed that Kerai followed the 22-year-old woman for half an hour before assaulting her, despite her repeated attempts to distance herself from him.
The victim was waiting for her boyfriend outside a store on O’Connell Street around 11 p.m. when Kerai approached her and initiated conversation. During the interaction, he managed to disconnect her ongoing phone call. The woman attempted to evade Kerai by walking towards the General Post Office (GPO) and then turning onto Henry Street, but Kerai persisted, placing his arm around her shoulders.
As they reached the end of Henry Street, Kerai’s behavior escalated and he tried to assault the victim. Her distress was noticed by a passer-by who intervened, and two gardai on foot patrol who arrived at the scene subsequently arrested Kerai.
Kerai, who had no identification documents and initially provided false personal details to the authorities, has been in custody since his arrest. He has four prior convictions from the UK, where he lived for a year before moving to Dublin. His defense counsel, Keith Spencer BL, noted that Kerai had consumed alcohol that day, which impaired his judgment, and expressed his client’s unreserved apology for his actions. Kerai is seeking asylum in Ireland, claiming persecution for his political beliefs in Algeria.
Judge Martin Nolan, while sentencing Kerai, emphasized the uninvited and aggressive nature of the assault. He stated that Kerai had no right to behave in such a manner and described the entire encounter as “totally uninvited.” The judge highlighted the particularly disturbing way Kerai approached the woman in a public space.
Judge Nolan initially set a headline sentence of four years but reduced it to 27 months, considering mitigating factors. The sentence was backdated to December 2023, the time of Kerai’s arrest.
