Judge jails west Clare man for sexual assault of 13-year-old he groomed via Snapchat

Judge Francis Comerford imposed a 28 month prison term with the final six months suspended. Courts The man was jailed for one year and 10 months. A WEST CLARE adult teenager ‘groomed’ a 13-year-old girl through Snapchat before sexually assaulting her on two dates at Vandeleur Woods on the outskirts of the west Clare town of Kilrush three years ago, a court has heard. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford has imposed a 28-month prison term with the final six months suspended on Ryce Clohessy (23) of Henry Street, Kilrush, Co Clare. Mr Clohessy was aged 19 at the time of the offences in 2023 when he asked the then 13-year-old girl “to be his secret girl-friend”, the court heard. In the case, Mr Clohessy pleaded guilty to two counts of the sexual assault of the girl at Vandeleur Woods, Feagarroge, Kilrush on 7 June and 8 June 2023. Concerning the Snapchat contact, Mr Clohessy pleaded guilty to the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to facilitate sexual exploitation of a child between 19 May 2023 and 22 June 2023. In jailing Mr Clohessy for one year and 10 months, Judge Comerford said Mr Clohessy had engaged in
Read More