Man jailed for sexual assault on vulnerable teen in Sligo alley

Tom Tuite

An Afghan former teacher who overpowered a vulnerable teenage girl and sexually assaulted her after he "beckoned" her down a dark alley in Sligo has been jailed for six years.

Ziaullhaq Safi (37) was unanimously convicted by a jury at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court of sexual assault and of providing remuneration to a child, then aged 16, for sexual exploitation in April 2023.

The father of five, of Market Yard, Sligo, appeared for sentencing before Judge Roderick Maguire, who was presiding in Mullingar on Monday.

The trial heard that the complainant met friends in Sligo town at 4.30pm and went drinking.

Later, the complainant and her friend went to a local takeaway when they saw Safi, who worked at the fast-food restaurant.

He "beckoned" them into the alleyway.

The judge recalled how the jury heard that he brought them behind a locked door where he sexually assaulted the complainant, forcibly kissing her, pulling up her top and sucking her nipples.

She resisted and told him to stop, but Safi exposed himself and tried to penetrate her anus and ejaculated.

The court heard she was scared, panicked, nervous and thought that she would not come out alive.

He later brought her back into his workplace and "handed her pizza and winked at her".

The prosecution's case was that, in addition to the sexual assault, he offered her food as payment.

Jurors heard her evidence that her friend was present during the eight-minute attack.

A victim impact statement read in court by Detective Garda Kieran Higgins expressed how the young woman, now aged 19, could not look at herself in the mirror.

She suffered flashbacks, nightmares and suicidal thoughts. The judge emphasised how she was "picking up pieces of her life and anticipating a lifetime of healing".

A specialist interview was conducted by gardaí with the girl who had vulnerabilities and grew up in care.

The jury heard from 13 witnesses and viewed CCTV footage.

It also emerged that Safi had taught children in Afghanistan. He fled his homeland after persecution by the Taliban, his father was shot, and their home was burned. He left his wife and children behind, but later reunited with them through family reunification procedures.

Safi did not speak English, listened to the proceedings with the aid of an interpreter, and showed no emotion as he was jailed.

He had been in custody on remand since the jury found him guilty on March 13th last.

Safi had no prior convictions and had an industrious work record since coming to Ireland, the court heard.

However, Judge Maguire said that while the incident was not planned, it was an invasive and sustained sexual assault on a vulnerable child who was overpowered and kept behind a closed door in a dark alleyway.

There was limited mitigation, he stated, stressing the significant age gap and the girl being under the influence of alcohol "magnified" her vulnerability.

In addition to the six-year sentence for the sexual assault, the judge imposed a concurrent term of four years and three months for the second charge.

In his closing remarks, he highlighted that the teenager had been served alcohol in three specific licensed premises and gardaí ought to consider that when those premises wish to renew their licences.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.