A garda has gone on trial accused of sexually assaulting a woman three times after she called to a garda station to look for advice on how to recover her son's car which had been seized.
38-year-old William Ryan has pleaded not guilty to three charges of sexual assault and one of false imprisonment of the woman at Aughrim Garda Station in Co Wicklow in September 2020.
Prosecuting Counsel Maurice Coffey told the jury it would hear evidence from the woman that her son's car had been seized by gardaí in Co Carlow because he was an unaccompanied driver.
The following morning on 29 September 2020 she phoned Aughrim Garda Station to ask for advice from Mr Ryan, who was the sole member attached to the station.
Mr Coffey told the jury that Aughrim was a "one man station" which was only open for a certain number of hours a day.
He said the woman will say she was invited to call to the station by Mr Ryan who invited her into the building through a side door.
It is alleged that after discussing the issue of her son's car he asked her to stand up and go "over there" before commenting "that's some arse".
It is claimed that he then slapped and grabbed her backside.
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Mr Coffey told the jury that it is the prosecution's case that this was the first sexual assault.
The jury heard the woman will also tell the court that she tried to leave the station but was prevented from doing so because Mr Ryan had locked the side door.
The prosecution will say this amounted to false imprisonment.
Mr Coffey said the woman also alleges that Mr Ryan then made some lewd comments and "in an attempt to satisfy him, she showed him a photo of herself in a bikini".
The woman will say that a nipple piercing was visible in the photograph and after seeing this Mr Ryan allegedly grabbed her breast.
Mr Coffey said this was the second alleged sexual assault.
The jury will also hear that Mr Ryan then propositioned the woman to go upstairs and told her she "just had to stand there" and did not have to touch him.
Once upstairs in a shower area, she will say she faced away from him looking out a window and was again sexually assaulted a third time.
The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahen and a jury and is expected to last up to nine days.
Mr Ryan denies all the charges.
