A businessman who exposed his genitals to a 10-year-old girl has been given a fully suspended sentence before Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Central Criminal Court.
The Irish Mirror reported that 47-year-old Steven Russell who has an address Cooper Hill, Julianstown, Co Meath pleaded guilty to the offence which took place on September 8, 2020 in Balbriggan, Co Dublin.
Russell – who is the manager of a logistics company – called the girl over to a car he was sitting in before exposing his genitals and asking her ‘Do you want to sleep with them?’ and ‘Do you love them?’
He was sentenced to a one year custodial sentence which was fully suspended and ordered to pay the sum of €5,000 to the girl’s family in order to facilitate therapy for the child who was left in shock and tears.
The girl, having been referred to the Garda Special Victims’ Unit, said that as she was walking along the road Russell had called out to her saying ‘Come here’.
Meath businessman avoids jail after flashing young girl https://t.co/PCs7gxSCoD
— Irish Daily Mirror (@IrishMirror) January 25, 2024
As she approached his Land Rover – which had the window down – she noticed that Russel had his “thing” exposed and that he was moving his hand up and down along it.
The girl ran to her friend’s house, arriving there in tears. The court heard that Russell has no previous convictions.
The Irish Mirror’s report contains details of how Judge Nolan commented that Russell was ‘under stress’ at the time of the offence.
“On sentencing Russell, Judge Nolan said: “It seems you’re a family man with family responsibilities. You were under stress and for some reason you committed this crime. It’s unknown why you did it. But you must have known by behaving this way you had a serious effect on this child. “ it said.
The report continues, “It’s impossible to know what was in your mind. It’s probably unlikely that you will reoffend,” the judge said.”