Vimalkarthik Balasubramanian, a 26-year-old Indian national residing in Lucan, Co. Dublin, has been charged with sexually assaulting a young schoolgirl during a bus journey in Dublin that occurred in April. The Dublin District Court was informed that Balasubramanian, a married app data engineer, allegedly sat next to the girl, whom he did not know, on the bus and proceeded to touch her inappropriately for a duration of 40 minutes.
The court learned that the victim, who was in her school uniform and engrossed in watching Netflix on her phone, had attempted to resist the accused’s advances while discreetly alerting a family member about the incident via text. She also managed to capture photos and video footage of the accused before he disembarked from the bus. Gardaí reportedly recovered this evidence along with CCTV footage from the bus.
During the bail hearing, it was revealed that Balasubramanian had left the country but later returned, relocating to a new address in Dublin. The court heard concerns from Detective Garda Liam Mangan that the accused, with no significant ties to the jurisdiction other than his employment, might flee, especially considering his ability to work remotely. However, the defence argued that Balasubramanian had voluntarily returned to Ireland, demonstrating no intention to evade authorities.
While the prosecution objected to bail, Judge Treasa Kelly ultimately granted it, setting the bond at €7,000, of which €5,000 must be lodged. Various conditions were imposed, and Balasubramanian was remanded in custody with consent to bail, scheduled to appear at Cloverhill District Court on November 16th. The case’s future proceedings, whether in the District Court or the Circuit Court, are pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Legal aid was granted.
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