Chef at hotel in West Cork jailed after sexually assaulting 15-year-old waitress

A 26-year-old chef at the Emmet Hotel in Clonakilty who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old waitress nine times in the course of a week was jailed today for four years.

Judge Helen Boyle imposed a sentence of five years with the last year suspended in the case against now 29-year-old Bogdan Magyarosi of Clonakilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. A jury found him guilty on nine counts of sexual assault. While he had pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, he now accepts the guilty verdicts of the jury, his senior counsel Alice Fawsitt said.

The injured party, Ruth Bonny of Clonakilty, who is now 18 years old, chose to waive her anonymity. She said that as well as feeling that she will never be able to forget the distress caused by the sexual assaults. She was further distressed by feeling that she had to leave her job while the accused man continued to work there for the past three years, even though she had reported to gardaí that he had sexually assaulted her.

Detective Garda Brian Morris said the sexual assaults were carried out over the days from September 28 until October 1 2021 at different locations within the hotel. The sexual assaults consisted of touching her buttocks and breasts outside her clothing, including incidents when he simulated sexual activity by a grinding motion. The last sexual assault was the most serious, consisting of touching her vagina inside her clothing.

Ms Bonny was advised that it might not be in her interests to waive her anonymity but it was clarified in court that she definitely wished to do so.

In her victim impact statement which she read to the court the teenager said she had just turned 15 when she got the job and being a sociable person she believed that waitressing would be perfect for her and she loved working there in what was a good atmosphere with a lot laughter.

She said it never bothered her that he was calling her his girl and giving her high-fives. But she said this went on to pats on the back, arm around the shoulders and then the sexual assaults started from there.

“Now I look back on it he was pushing it further and further every day to see what he would get away with,” she said.

Upset at the possibility of meeting him in the West Cork town after the sexual assaults she said she stopped going to school during her transition year to avoid going through town. “I completely isolated myself and I became depressed,” she said.

She said it had a definite impact on her mental health for the last three years and that reporting it was really difficult as was the trial.

Judge Boyle said Mr Magyarosi progressively sexually assaulted the 15-year-old until he eventually placed his hand inside her underwear on her vagina and placed her hand on his penis when clothed.

“Unfortunately, as a result of your actions she had to leave her job while you retained your job. She could not even walk her dog without crying when she got close to the town. It has an impact on her education, as she isolated herself and she became depressed. She feels she will never forget or get over it and she suffers anxiety,” Judge Boyle said.

To the injured party she said: “I want to say to you that you are very brave, you did the right thing by reporting this assault. A very unfortunate feature of this case was that you had to leave your job and he remained in is job for three years after you made credible complaints of being sexually assaulted. It is not relevant to the sentence but I understand. You are a very brave young person with a bright future ahead of you.

“There was a very significant age difference and this had a serious impact. There was an element of grooming in that there was an elevation of incidents culminating in the most serious sexual assault.”