Teen only learned of sexual assault on her from Facebook video

At Ennis Circuit Court, Detective Garda Conor Flaherty said the then 18-year-old was sent the 50-60 second clip by a friend who had videoed the assault.

Teen only learned of sexual assault on her from Facebook video

A teenager only realised she had been the victim of a sex assault when sent a video clip via Facebook of the assault the following day.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Detective Garda Conor Flaherty said the then 18-year-old was sent the 50-60 second clip by a friend who had videoed the assault.

In the case, Slovakian-born father of two Rene Miko, aged 22, formerly of Place de Plouzane, Kilrush, Co Clare pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of the then 18-year-old at a house on October 9/10, 2015.

The sexual assault took place just a year before Miko knocked down and killed pedestrian, Eugene McNamara, aged 42, on October 26, 2016, while two times over the legal drink driving limit.

Miko is currently serving a six-year jail term, with the final two years suspended, for the dangerous driving causing the death of Mr McNamara.

In court yesterday, Det Flaherty said Miko, his victim, and other friends had gone to a party at a friend’s house in Corofin.

Det Flaherty said the complainant “doesn’t remember anything from the night”.

He said statements by two of the injured party’s female friends indicated that she was “very, very drunk and that she had fallen on the floor of the house and was vomiting”.

The two put their friend to bed at around 1am. She had her clothes on at the time.

One of these friends said the girl “was so sick and drunk that she checked on her every 10 minutes in case she choked on her own vomit”.

Det Flaherty said the injured party received a video of the sex assault from a male friend on October 11 via Facebook Messenger.

He said it was very distressing for the injured party to see the footage and she made a complaint to gardaí the following day that she had been sexually assaulted.

Det Flaherty said the clip “shows Mr Miko engaged in a sexual act with the injured party” on the bed where she had gone to sleep.

“It is evident from the recording that the injured party is naked from the waist down,” he said.

In her statement to gardaí, she said she felt “violated” over what happened.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly, said evidence from the complainant’s two female friends would have clearly established that the injured party was incapable of any consent to any sexual act.

The complainant was not in court but in her victim impact statement, read out to court, she said: “I lost out on my youth over this. Life has been very difficult.

“I lost all my trust in people after the ones I trusted the most took that away from me.”

She said that, after Miko’s guilty plea, “I can now move on with my life and that justice was done for what happened to me”.

Counsel for Miko, Mark Nicholas, said Miko “very much regrets that an evening that started off with such fun could have had this aspect to it”.

Mr Nicholas said “it wasn’t a situation where Mr Miko was waiting in the corner silently and sinisterly waiting for someone to get drunk and to take advantage. This was an evolving situation.”

Judge Gerald Keys said he would impose sentence on Mr Miko on March 4.

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