All Ireland GAA Winner Appears In Court Charged With Sex Assault

By Paul Higgins

Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent appeared in court today (tues) accused of sexual assault. 

Appearing in the dock of Armagh Magistrates Court, sitting in Newry, the 30-year-old was charged with four offences all alleged to have been committed against a single complainant on 17 November last year. 

Nugent, from the Cullyhanna Road in Newtownhamilton, faces two charges of sexual assault and two of causing or inciting a person to engage in a sexual activity, namely contact with his genitals. 

None of the alleged facts were opened in court but giving evidence Det. Const. Adair said he believed he could connect Nugent to each of the offences. 

A prosecuting lawyer revealed that while Nugent is currently facing four offences, the case is going on indictment to the Crown Court and further that an additional four charges will be levied against the defendant. 

Under cross examination from defence solicitor Patrick Higgins, the officer agreed the offences were allegedly committed in America, that Nugent has been on police bail since before Christmas and that there have been no issues and no breaches. 

The officer also agreed that during formal police interviews, Nugent claimed that “any sexual activity was consensual” and that when he was charged with the offences Nugent replied that “I deny the allegations – it was consensual.”

It was in November last year when the Armagh GAA team travelled to Miami in Florida to celebrate the team’s All-Ireland win, their first All-Ireland title in 22 years after they clinched victory over Galway at Croke Park in July. 

Players, the management team, family members and other senior figures from the Armagh County Board are understood to have spent a week in Miami in the middle of November and it has been reported and alleged that an offence of sexual assault was committed then. 

In court today (tues) the PPS asked for the case to be adjourned to 3 June when a date will be fixed for the committal hearing.

Although the lawyer asked for an addition bail condition for Nugent not to contact two named men “except for the purposes if football,” Mr Higgins objected and in the end, District Judge Anne Marshall did not alter the bail conditions. 

Adjourning the case to 3 June, she told Nugent he did not need to attend on that occasion.

Ends