Case No. 0723Sexual assault · Co. Dublin
French man pleads guilty to sexual assault of woman in Dublin hospital bed
Tarak El-Hemissi, a 45-year-old French man, sexually assaulted a woman in a hospital bed on Westmoreland Street, Dublin, in autumn 2025. He had arrived in Ireland just two days before the incident and was waiting for a psychiatric assessment at the hospital when the assault took place. He was arrested under the Mental Health Act after being found walking along the M50 and later pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He was initially deemed unfit to plead but that assessment was reversed, and the case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Charged27 Jun
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted27 Jun
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- He approached a woman waiting in a hospital bed for a test, stroked her arm, pulled down his trousers, exposed his penis, and asked her to put his penis in her mouth; the woman got off the bed and alerted a staff member while distressed and crying.
- Where
- The incident occurred in a hospital on Westmoreland Street, Dublin city centre.
- When
- The incident occurred in autumn 2025.
- Investigation
- He was arrested under the Mental Health Act after being found walking along the M50.
- CCTV recorded him approaching the woman but did not capture the incident, which lasted several minutes.
- He made admissions when interviewed, initially suggesting someone else had abused a woman but later accepting what he did.
- Charges
- He pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
- In court
- He was initially deemed unfit to plead after going into custody, but this assessment was later reversed.
- The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports.
- Other details
- He is a French national who arrived in Ireland two days before the incident.
- He has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, stopped taking his medication in May 2025, and has been admitted eight times to psychiatric hospitals in France.
- He has been in custody since his arrest and has no other convictions in Ireland or another jurisdiction.
- French authorities indicated they are willing to pay for a flight to return him to France into the care of his mother.
33 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe off-duty garda suffered serious facial injuries and a concussion (irishtimes.com)
- whatRyan identified the officer as a garda following an interaction three days earlier (irishtimes.com)
- whatRyan struck and punched the officer, who was knocked down (irishtimes.com)
- whatWaldron screamed at the officer and pushed and punched him several times (irishtimes.com)
- whatTarak El-Hemissi pleaded guilty to sexual assault at a Dublin hospital in autumn 2025. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman was waiting in a hospital bed for a test when she saw him standing in the corridor near her bed. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe approached her and stroked her arm. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe pulled down the front of his trousers and exposed his penis, asking her to put his penis in her mouth. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman got off the bed and alerted a staff member; she was in a distressed state and crying. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred in Westmoreland Street, Dublin city centre (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe incident occurred at about 12.10am on 21 June 2026 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationHe was arrested under the Mental Health Act after being found walking along the M50. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationCCTV recorded El-Hemissi approach the woman but did not capture the incident, which lasted several minutes. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationHe made admissions when interviewed, initially suggesting someone else had abused a woman but later accepting what he did. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeBoth men were charged with assault causing harm to the officer (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was sent to the Circuit Court for broader sentencing powers (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe two men appeared before Judge Gráinne Malone at Dublin District Court on Saturday (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe two men had no legal representation due to industrial action by solicitors over proposed legal aid reforms (irishtimes.com)
- other13 solicitors were contacted to represent the two men after they were detained for questioning (irishtimes.com)
- otherBoth men are of no fixed abode (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe pair were ordered to appear again on 29 July (irishtimes.com)
- otherA book of evidence has yet to be served on the two men (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe is a French national who arrived in Ireland two days before the incident. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and had stopped taking his medication several months beforehand. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe has been in custody since his arrest and has no other convictions in Ireland or another jurisdiction. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe has been admitted eight times to psychiatric hospitals in France and was put under a conservatorship-type arrangement by French courts. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe stopped taking his medication in May 2025 and started to get delusions the following month. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe set fire to his apartment and was homeless before coming to Ireland. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherWhen found on the M50, he believed he was walking to the beach. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHis mother reported him missing to the French authorities around the time he travelled to Ireland. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe has a history of drug and alcohol misuse which aggravates his mental health issues. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe was initially deemed unfit to plead after going into custody, but this assessment later changed. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe French authorities indicated they are willing to pay for a flight to return him to France into the care of his mother. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 27 Jun2026Man who sexually assaulted woman in hospital bed had only arrived in Ireland
First report of the guilty plea and court proceedings. Details the circumstances of the assault, the defendant's mental health history, and the judge's adjournment for pre-sentence reports.
convicted, Tarak El-Hemissi, 45, male, French, named, non-irishTarak El-Hemissivictim, female - 27 Jun2026Two men charged after off-duty garda ‘pursued’ and assaulted in Dublin
Details of the assault, CCTV evidence of the pair discussing the attack, bail conditions, the case being sent to Circuit Court, and the lack of legal representation due to solicitors' industrial action.
victim, malesuspect, Taylor Ryan, 22, male, named, irish (judged from name)Taylor Ryansuspect, Daryl Waldron, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Daryl Waldron