An apprentice jockey who admitted falsely imprisoning a young woman whom he sexually assaulted had Googled 'girl', 'tape' and 'gagged' on the day before the offences occurred, a court has heard.

Maurice Fitzgerald (22), of Abbeyview, Buttevant, Co Cork, admitted possessing weapons - scissors and duct tape - and was on bail for the alleged sexual assault of another woman when the offences occurred on September 20, 2015.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, causing her harm, at Dan Spring Road in Tralee, Co Kerry on that date.

The sexual assault charge related to an incident that occurred at an address at Cherry Court, Ashleigh Downs, Tralee, where he had enticed her on the pretext that there was a party.

Tralee Circuit Criminal Court heard Fitzgerald made "startling admissions" to gardaí when interviewed that he was "into bondage" and was "sick in the head".

He told gardaí he had got angry and was lying in bed fighting the urge to hurt the woman before he followed her after she had left his house.

In her victim-impact statement, the woman, who was 18 at the time, said: "I honestly believed I was going to die."

The court heard that she had become separated from her friends on a night out when she met the accused, who invited her back to his house.

The woman went to bed fully clothed but Fitzgerald got into the bed beside her and made sexual advances towards her.

She got up to leave but he assured her that it wouldn't happen again. However, he became more forceful and pulled down her clothing.

The woman left the house and had walked over a mile when she became aware of someone following her. The man caught her in a headlock and knocked her to the ground.

He put his hands around her neck and told her to put her hands in front of her, telling her that if she didn't: "I will kill you f***ing now."

Sgt Gary Carroll said the outcome would have been far more serious except for the intervention of two men who came on the scene. Sentencing was adjourned to July.

Irish Independent