A man found guilty for sexually assaulting a teenager on a Dublin Bus is planning to appeal the jail term.
49 year old Honorio Medina Barboza was sentenced to 7 months for groping a teenage boy, asleep in back seat of a Dublin Bus. The accused claimed that he thought the boy was a “lovestruck” gay man who shared a mutual attraction with him.
The incident with the man on the Dublin Bus
Dublin District Court heard how in July 2019, the boy was travelling through the city centre, when Mr Barboza boarded the bus. The court also heard how the man sat beside the boy. The boy was aged 15 at the time.
Detective Garda Paul Gallagher then told the court that Mr Barboza had placed his hand along the boy’s genital region, outside his trousers.
The boy rejected Mr Barboza’s advances, telling him to “feck off”. Mr Barboza allegedly responded “there’s no need to scream. Calm down”.
He then got up and left the bus.
Mr Barboza had claimed that the boy was “awake and an adult gay man who indicated that he was attracted to the defendant”.
Mr Barboza was only identified through CCTV footage played on RTE’s Crimecall months later.
Last November, the accused pleaded guilty. The case was also back before the court for a victim impact statement and a probation report.
“125% in the wrong”
Mr Barboza’s solicitor, Lorraine Stephens claimed that her client was unaware of the boy’s age. She did add that Mr Barboza, “wholly accepts it was his responsibility and he was 125pc in the wrong”.
Lorraine Stephens also added that Mr Barboza was willing to pay €500 as a compensation “gesture” or a charity donation. She also said that the boy came across in his impact statement as a “very resilient young man”.
She added that her client has no mental health issues and this was an isolated incident. She added that before this, he had not even had a “parking ticket”.
Mr Barboza has since apologised to the boy in the “stongest terms” in a letter sent to Gardaí. Gardaí felt it was inapproprate to mention this as the boy wanted to just put the incident behind him.
She also asked the judge to consider the punishment Mr Barboza has already suffered as a result of the media coverage of this incident.
She asked the judge to suspend any sentence imposed on her client.
Mr Barboza is an interpreter for a pharmaceutical company. Their employers said they are “aware of the mistake that he made”.
Mr Barboza showed “little responsibility”
However, Judge Smyth did say it was of concern for the court that Mr Barboza initially showed “little responsibility” for his behavour.
Judge Smyth set recognisances in the even of an appeal. The accused later served notice of appeal and took up bail.
