Meath man, 21, accused of assaulting and robbing transgender escort told gardai he was attacked first with stiletto
A man accused of assaulting and robbing a transgender escort in an alleged dispute over money after consensual sex has claimed she attacked him first with a stiletto.
Ben O’Reilly (21) told gardaí that in a struggle over his wallet he had his hands around the complainant's neck and punched her twice in the face. He said he was acting in self defence.
Mr O'Reilly of The Old Mill, Ratoath, Co Meath has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Fernanda de Freitas causing her harm and robbing her of cash and her iPhone at her home on May 20, 2017.
The court heard that the complainant is a transgender woman who was working as a sex worker at the time. Mr O’Reilly told gardaí that he was attracted to transgender women and they met through an online dating app.
The jury heard that after his arrest Mr O’Reilly told gardaí that he agreed to pay Ms de Freitas around €400 to €500 for consensual sex.
He said he was under the impression, from a previous sexual meet up, that he would “get away with” not paying.
He told gardaí that he had previously met a friend of Ms de Freitas, who is also an escort, and they had sex and he didn’t pay her and there was no problem.
Mr O’Reilly said that after he had consensual sex with Ms de Freitas there was a verbal exchange about money, and he tried to “palm her off jokingly”.
The defendant told gardaí Ms de Freitas became aggressive and demanded money and swiped at his face with a stiletto.
He said that she pulled his wallet out of his pocket and took money from it and he then got a “bit aggressive” and hit her.
Mr O’Reilly said he was in panic mode and grabbed what he thought was his mobile phone and sprinted from the apartment to a friend who was giving him a lift and it was only then he realised he had taken Ms de Freitas’s mobile instead of his phone.
He said the iPhone was the same type as his mobile and he “just grabbed it and ran”.
He told gardaí he didn’t give the complainant €180 and denied that he agreed to go to an ATM to get the rest of the money after they had sex. He said Ms de Freitas took his wallet and took the money and he hit her in self-defence.
He admitted that he had his hands around her neck for around five to ten seconds as they wrestled. He said he punched her twice in the face and a third punch caused her to fall back and she hit her head.
