Family of young man they say was 'raped' devastated as charges against accused dropped due to death before trial

The family of a young man who they say was raped have spoken of their devastation after charges were dropped against two men because he died before the trial could begin.

Aaron Bride, who was just 19 years old at the time, was allegedly sexually assaulted by two men near the GPO on O’Connell Street after he got separated from his friends while out socialising in the city centre on August 9, 2021.

Two Eastern European men, who the Irish Mirror cannot identify for legal reasons, were arrested and charged with rape. The pair, who were released on bail , were finally set to go on trial later this year - after the case was adjourned late last year and earlier this year.

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But tragically, Aaron, who identified as trans but used male pronouns, passed away in his sleep from a cardiac arrest at the age of 21 in July. His family’s heartache was compounded even further after being told the case would no longer be able to proceed as a result.

The Director of Public Prosecutions officially entered a nolle prosequi on October 15 - which means the charges against the two men were dropped and the trial would no longer happen.

Aaron’s sister Gwen Mc Auley and his mum Jackie Bride decided to speak publicly and bring awareness to the case. In a wide-ranging interview, the pair spoke about how they think the courts should handle future sexual assault cases, their frustration Aaron’s case was not able to proceed despite the availability of CCTV of the incident and the urgent need for more judges.

Speaking to The Irish Mirror, Gwen said: “Aaron has just been massively let down by the system. I don’t think it was right that the two men, who had no ties to Ireland, were released on bail and allowed to walk freely on our streets. After what happened, Aaron was suffering so badly from anxiety that he was afraid to leave the house. He was more of a prisoner than they were.

“Before it, my brother was full of life. He was the life and soul of any party. He lit up any room. He was the baby of seven of us so you can imagine how spoiled rotten he was. He was a normal 19-year-old who loved socialising with his friends. But he just hit rock bottom afterwards”

Gwen said she and her family are at a loss as to why the Director of Public Prosecutions could not proceed with the case. During their initial court appearance in 2021, the Dublin District Court was told that Aaron was allegedly incapable of consenting and had been pushed into an alley just 25 metres from O’Connell Street.

Detective Garda James Campbell said the alleged sex attack lasted four minutes and was captured on CCTV while a third man, who is a friend of the accused, also filmed it. The court heard that CCTV showed that Aaron was pushed into a fire exit alcove of a building in the alley, where he was forced down onto his knees.

The court was told that a passing patrol car saw what was going on and intervened and that one man was detained at the scene while another was caught after a foot chase. The men's solicitor told the court that they had no previous convictions and that they maintained that the encounter had been consensual.

Gwen, who viewed the CCTV of the attack, explained: “He was very drunk. You can clearly see from the footage Aaron cannot put one foot in front of the other. He’s swaying all over the place. The CCTV shows three men coming up behind him. I can’t understand why they could not take it to trial. They had the CCTV, they had the footage which was recorded on a smartphone and they had the testimony of three Gardaí."

Gwen said her family met with the officials from the Director of Public Prosecutions earlier this month, who explained why the case could not proceed without Aaron. She was told that the accused's defence would get Aaron's statements thrown out because he could not be cross-examined and said they would also try and get the CCTV dismissed.

Devastated mum Jackie also blasted the Irish court system and said the family wouldn’t be in this situation if the trial had gone ahead earlier, like initially planned. She explained: “Aaron could not get on with his life because he had this hanging over him. Everything was basically on hold. We got a date in December of last year - which was more than two years after the men had been charged.

“Aaron built himself up for it but we were then told it couldn’t go ahead because there weren't enough judges and courtrooms available. He was devastated. It was adjourned until April and the same thing happened. On both occasions, the prosecution and the defence were ready to go. The entire process needs to change. When we went in December, the courtroom was like a cattle market - it was hectic.”

Jackie said the pair “felt intimidated” and declared "It’s such a horrible experience”. “Aaron would have got justice had it not been for the delays." Jackie continued: “Nowadays, there are so many extra people in the country. Everywhere you look, people are calling for extra Gardaí to keep the streets safe. But the guards are stopping people, they’re arresting people.

“Then, they’re going to court but there’s no point because you’re not going to get a court date and you’ll keep being told to come back in a month or two months' time. There is nothing in the system that is working. It’s just letting everybody down.”

Gwen and Jackie also revealed Aaron was told he had to be physically in the courtroom to give evidence. The family asked if he could provide this through a video link but they were told this would not be allowed and was reserved for “special cases”.

They also believe sexual assault cases should be prioritised and dealt with quicker - in a separate courtroom which gives more privacy and called for evidence to be given by video link if wished for. The family also wants the Director of Public Prosecutions to be able to try cases such as Aaron’s, even if the alleged victim passes away.

Gwen added: “We’ve launched a social media campaign." She said that they couldn't get justice for Aaron so it's like Aaron is fighting for justice for others in the same situation as him. She said that they want to change things "for anybody who is currently going through the system" and also for those who would face it in the future "so that it is easier for them".

Gwen: “We only decided to go public after the system failed Aaron. We want things to change for the better and we will do this in Aaron’s name.”

Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rachel Morrogh, said delays were unfortunately common in cases of alleged sexual violence. She told The Irish Mirror: “We provide an accompaniment service for people who are reporting to Gardaí or waiting for their case to come to court. We see first-hand the burden that repeated adjournments and delays places. While efforts have been undertaken to reduce delays in the justice system, there is still a long way to go.”

The Director of Public Prosecutions said it "does not comment on individual cases".

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