Ireland Man given suspended sentence over exposure on Kilkenny to Waterford train
On July 8, 2023, a man exposed himself on a direct Dublin to Waterford train that stopped briefly in Kilkenny, and a woman in Coach D told gardaí she was positive he was masturbating. She reported it to staff at Waterford Train Station, where gardaí arrived and she pointed the man out. Desmond O'Hara was convicted under section 45(2)(c) of the Sexual Offences Act 2017 at Kilkenny District Court and given a four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, with a direction to engage with Probation Services. The case was reported in January 2025, and the latest development is that suspended sentence.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced29 Jan
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A man exposed himself on the Kilkenny to Waterford train.
- The woman told gardaí she was positive the man was masturbating and that he put his hand down his pants.
- Sources differ on seating: one says the man sat behind the woman, another says he sat opposite her.
- Where
- The woman was in Coach D of a direct Dublin to Waterford train, which stopped briefly in Kilkenny.
- When
- The incident happened on July 8, 2023.
- Investigation
- The woman reported the incident to station staff at Waterford Train Station.
- Gardaí arrived at the station and the woman pointed the man out to them.
- Charges
- The man was convicted under section 45(2)(c) of the Sexual Offences Act 2017.
- In court
- The defendant had no relevant previous conviction, accepted the facts and apologised to the injured party.
- The defence said the man had significant paranoia at the time and believed a woman was a garda.
- The judge said an aggravating factor was that the incident happened on public transport.
- Sentence
- The man was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and directed to engage with Probation Services.
- Other details
- Sources give the court report date as 29 January 2025 in the metadata and 30 January 2025 in the article text.
14 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA man exposed himself on the Kilkenny to Waterford train. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whatThe man put his hand down his pants while sitting behind the woman. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whatThe woman told gardaí she was positive the man was masturbating. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whereThe woman was in Coach D of a direct train travelling towards Waterford. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whereThe train stopped briefly in Kilkenny. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whenThe incident happened on July 8, 2023. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- investigationThe woman reported the incident to station staff at Waterford Train Station. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- investigationGardaí arrived and the woman pointed the man out to them at the train station. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- chargeThe man was convicted under section 45(2)(c) of the Sexual Offences Act 2017. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- courtThe defendant had no relevant previous conviction. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- courtThe defendant accepted the facts and apologised to the injured party. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- sentenceThe man was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and directed to engage with Probation Services. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- otherThe defence said the man had significant paranoia at the time and believed a woman was a garda. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- otherThe judge said an aggravating factor was that the incident happened on public transport. (kilkennypeople.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 29 Jan2025Kilkenny train incident - ‘offensive conduct of a sexual nature’ by man
Court outcome of the incident: conviction under section 45(2)(c) of the Sexual Offences Act 2017, suspended sentence and Probation Services engagement. Defence said the offence was out of character and linked to paranoia at the time.
convicted, Desmond O'Hara, 44, male, named, irish (judged from name)Desmond O'Hara