Man who sexually assaulted another man in Dublin is jailed
Eimear Dodd
A man who sexually assaulted another man after following him home has been jailed for three and a half years.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the injured party went out to get a pizza from Apache Pizza on Dame Street after returning home from a night out with his boyfriend on July 22nd 2020.
While walking back, he was approached by Cezar Toader (40), who asked him if he was gay. Toader said he was looking for fun, telling the injured party he was French and in town for three days.
The injured party repeatedly told him he wasn't interested, but Toader followed him home, where he sexually assaulted him.
Toader (40) of Huntstown Lawn, Clonsilla, Dublin 15 pleaded guilty to sexual assault at an apartment complex in Dublin City Centre.
He was handed a four-year sentence, with the final six months suspended on strict conditions.
The injured party, Stephen Markham, waived his right to anonymity and said he was happy to be named in the reporting of the case.
Reading his victim impact statement, Markham said he believed this assault had changed the trajectory of his life for the worse.
He said his friends and family saw him change from confident to a nervous and reclusive wreck. He described feeling angry, dirty and disgusted afterwards.
He said he “still feels shame at how I froze” and asks why he was not more aggressive in fighting him off.
“It makes me feel a failure even though I know I didn't bring it on myself.”
Markham described experiencing PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
He said he was “extremely worried” about making a complaint to gardaí due to internalised shame and “stigma around men who are assaulted in this way”.
But he said he decided to report it as he knew he'd feel guilty “if this person attacked someone else and I did nothing”. He thanked the gardaí for their support and work on the case.
He also thanked his family, friends and support network for helping him, adding that he is now doing better.
“Everyone should have the right to get home safely.”
Markham added: “I don't think this person has shown any remorse, I think they have been dismissive of the process, which is disrespectful to the court, gardai and everyone’s time.”
Imposing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said the injured party had the “misfortune to encounter” Toader, “who would not take no for an answer”.
She said Toader engaged in “degrading behaviour”, later saying it was “unwelcome, unwanted, unjustified and a gross violation of this young man’s right to bodily integrity”.
The judge noted the impact on the victim, adding that the court was “conscious that this process does not undo that damage”.
“It is notable the dignity and courage involved in coming and giving voice to the offending on him,” the judge said, noting his “extreme bravery”.
Speaking after the hearing, Markham said there seemed to be increased violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community around the same time.
He said he wanted to encourage others to be “more vocal” if something happens to them and noted the support he had received from the community and gardaí.
Detective Garda Richard Mostyn of Kevin Street Garda Station told Eimear Delargy, prosecuting, that after the victim told Toader no, he grabbed his arm and said: “I know you want to do something with me”.
Toader followed the injured party, who told him to leave him alone.
At the apartment block, Toader pushed the door open, telling the victim he wanted to have fun in the lift. He pushed him towards the lift.
The injured party said no, that he didn't want to and asked Toader to leave him alone.
Inside the lift, Toader became more forceful and aggressive then sexually assaulted the victim. After the lift door opened, he managed to get Toader off him.
Toader followed him to his apartment, pushed open the door, then became violent and aggressive. He sexually assaulted the victim again, running off when he called for his boyfriend.
The victim was extremely upset and went to his local garda station the following morning.
Toader was identified from CCTV footage of him following the victim home, which was played to the court.
He was interviewed in March 2021, and made no admissions, though accepted he may have been out that night.
Toader pleaded guilty in June 2025, several weeks before a trial date. He did not appear at a sentence date the following month and a bench warrant was issued. He has been in custody since the execution of the bench warrant last October.
Toader has 13 previous convictions, all at the District Court, including for theft, handling stolen property and assault. He was also on bail at the time.
Det Gda Mostyn agreed with Keith Spencer, defending, that his client has no similar previous convictions.
Spencer said he did not have instructions to apologise or an explanation for his client's offending.
Toader is from Romania and part of the Roma community. He moved to Ireland in 2006 and worked in construction, suffering a workplace accident several years later.
Spencer said his client experienced homelessness in 2021, but later managed to secure housing from which he was subsequently evicted. Toader has difficulties with cannabis, his mental health and literacy, having left school early.
Counsel said his client is in a committed relationship with a woman for three years
The judge said it was aggravating that Toader was on bail at the time and that he took a bench warrant in relation to this.
Having imposed a four-year sentence, the judge suspended the final six months for two years, directing Toader to place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months.
She directed him to follow their directions, particularly in relation to sexual offending and backdated the sentence to October last when he went into custody.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
