Gaelic football star is accused of eight sex attacks while celebrating All-Ireland victory in Florida with teammates
Armagh GAA player Aidan Nugent faces eight charges relating to an incident involving a woman on November 17 last year during the trip to Miami.
The 30-year-old from Newtownhamilton in County Armagh had been in the US to celebrate his team winning the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title.
He has been charged with seven counts of sexual assault and one of sexual assault involving penetration, which were allegedly committed against one woman.
Appearing today at Armagh Magistrates' Court, sitting in Newry, he confirmed he was aware of the charges against him and was told he would go on trial at crown court.
Armagh GAA had been in Miami to celebrate their win, which was their first All-Ireland title in 22 years after they clinched victory over Galway at Croke Park in July 2024.
Nugent's defence solicitor Patrick Higgins has emphasised that during formal police interviews, the defendant claimed that 'any sexual activity was consensual'.
Mr Higgins has also revealed that when Nugent was charged with the offences, the sportsman replied: 'I deny the allegations - it was consensual.'
During a brief preliminary enquiry court today, which is the legal step necessary for any case to be sent to the crown court, a prosecuting lawyer submitted that there is a prima facie case against Nugent.
Mr Higgins conceded the point but declared that Nugent 'strenuously denies the allegations'.
Returning the case to Newry Crown Court, District Judge Anne Marshall freed Nugent on £500 bail and ordered him to appear for his arraignment on October 2.
Applying for legal aid to be extended in allow a senior barrister to be instructed, Mr Higgins told the judge that was on the basis that one of the charges carried a potential sentence of life imprisonment.
He also contended that 'all of the people involved in this are in the public eye' and that if Nugent is convicted, there is not only a risk to his reputation 'but also a risk to his liberty and livelihood.'
Judge Marshall told the solicitor she would rule on his application later today.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
Thousands gather to farewell NYPD officer killed in Midtown mass shooting
Thousands gathered to say farewell to the New York City Police Department officer who was killed in Monday's mass shooting in Midtown. The funeral for 36-year-old Didarul Islam took place at the Parkchester Jame Masjid, located on a residential street in the officer's neighborhood in the Bronx, three days after he was killed in the deadliest shooting in the city in a quarter-century, The New York Times noted. The gunman entered the office building at 345 Park Avenue with an assault style-rifle and started to discharge the weapon. He killed Islam and two others before heading to the 33rd floor, where he killed a fourth person, before he died by suicide. Police say the shooter, Shane Tamura, 27, had made his way to New York from his Nevada home, where he was set on targeting the headquarters of the National Football League. Hundreds of officers from as many as 54 of the 77 precincts in the city, as well as from states and counties in the surrounding area, attended the funeral. The streets around the mosque were empty of cars for the proceedings, with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch saying that 'Didarul Islam came to this country as an immigrant with no guarantees, only the hope that hard work, that humility, and that purpose might lead him somewhere meaningful. And it did.' The rituals went on for close to four hours, with separate viewings for men and women. Floral wreaths covered the room, with the casket covered with the Police Department's standard in green, white, and blue. Mayor Eric Adams, himself a former NYPD officer, spoke at the funeral while the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani, sat with the family, The NYT noted. Islam came to New York City from Bangladesh when he was 20 years old, living in a small house along with his parents, his young sons, and his pregnant wife. In a eulogy read on his wife's behalf, she wrote that Islam had 'lived to help others' and that 'He gave his life protecting them. Though my heart is broken, I find comfort knowing that his sacrifice might have saved others.' Islam, who served in the department for three and a half years, joined the agency after spending two years as a safety agent in city schools. Even as an officer, he spent his time off as a security guard. Islam worked the Dominican Day Parade in the Bronx on Sunday before picking up an additional shift on Monday at 345 Park Avenue. 'He stepped into a new land and chose to become part of its promise, to believe in its dream. And he did believe in the American dream, not as something handed down but as something built with your own hands,' said Tisch. 'He may not be here to see that dream fulfilled, but his sons will surely grow up with its foundation beneath their feet.' Friends and colleagues said Islam was a devoted Muslim. Imam Dr. Zakir Ahmed of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York said during remarks that Islam, 'lived at a time when people like him are too often feared, vilified and made to feel like outsiders.' 'We cannot honor Officer Islam today while ignoring the daily pain endured by his community — being told to go back where you came from, being watched more closely, judged more harshly and loved less fully,' Imam Ahmed added, according to The NYT. 'To our city, our nation, you cannot ask us to serve and then silence us,' he said. 'You cannot take our sacrifice and ignore our suffering.'
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
Idaho victim Ethan Chapin's mom's gut-wrenching message to her son after skipping Bryan Kohberger sentencing
The family of Idaho murders victim Ethan Chapin have spoken out for the first time since Bryan Kohberger was jailed for life for slaughtering their son and his three friends inside a college home. Chapin's parents Jim and Stacy Chapin and triplet siblings Maizie and Hunter chose not to attend Kohberger's sentencing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise last week or share a victim impact statement to be read on their behalf. Instead, they planned to spend the day together as a family honoring the 20-year-old freshman at their home in Priest Lake, Idaho. Now, one week on, the Chapin family has released a separate statement on Instagram voicing their support for the outcome of the case and paying tribute to their son who 'touched so many lives.' 'We've given a lot of thought to what we should say since 7/23 and have edited this a million times,' they said, alongside a series of photos of the family together. 'The entire situation has been a tough pill to swallow but at the end of the day, we believe the outcome is the right one.' Earlier this month, the Chapins voiced their support for a plea deal which saw Kohberger plead guilty to the murders of Chapin, his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, both 20, and 21-year-old best friends Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. In the early hours of November 13, 2022, Kohberger broke into the off-campus student home at 1122 King Road in Moscow and stabbed the four victims to death. The 30-year-old criminology PhD student was arrested around six weeks later on December 30, 2022, at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, where he had gone for the holidays. After spending more than two years fighting the charges, Kohberger finally confessed to his crimes during a change of plea hearing on July 2. That was the only court hearing the Chapin family attended in the killer's case, as a show of support for the plea deal. On July 23, Judge Steven Hippler handed Kohberger four life sentences with no possibility of parole for each count of first-degree murder and an additional 10 years for burglary. Under the terms of the deal - which spared him from the death penalty - Kohberger has waived his right to ever appeal. In the Chapin family's statement, they did not name or mention the killer but took the moment to thank their son for the 'many ways you brought happiness and light to any situation'. 'Thank you, Ethan. You were only with us for 20 years, but you touched the lives of so many people,' they said. 'From the time you were a baby to when we dropped you off at college, you were an absolute joy and the glue that held our family together. 'We remember your smile, your laugh, how you kept us in check, and the many ways you brought happiness and light to any situation. There will never be another you. 'There would never have been enough time with you. We love you, miss you, and promise to continue honoring your legacy.' The Chapin family also thanked 'the true heroes in our lives' including the multiple law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who worked on the case, the University of Idaho staff who supported them and the media for sharing their story. The family also thanked everyone who has supported them including the students' friends who 'all have suffered severe loss and trauma.' 'Our incredible extended family, friends, and the communities that continue to lift us up every day. They're our backbone, and we recognize how fortunate and privileged we are to have this ongoing support,' the statement read. 'All of the kids!! Close friends of the triplets, Greek family, and others who were part of this story from the very beginning. 'Although each of their experiences is different, all have suffered severe loss and trauma. We continue to be in awe of their strength, and will continue to support them in any way we can.' Chapin had been in his freshman year at the University of Idaho, where he majored in sports management and was part of the Sigma Chi fraternity. The athletic, outgoing student was dating Kernodle and was staying at her student home on the night of the murders. Stacy told the Daily Mail earlier this month that 'he was the clown of the family and he lifted any room that we were all in'. 'I would say he was the top of the triplet pyramid. All things went through Ethan. He kept us all in check,' she said. She also revealed that the family had made a decision to 'forge ahead' with life in the months after their son's murder. 'My husband Jim and I just made a decision one morning. We were like, OK, we're not getting anywhere. This is not a true measure of success for us and our kids and our family,' she said. 'And so we just decided from that day forward, we'd get up, shower, and forge ahead.' The families of the three other victims delivered emotional victim impact statements during last week's sentencing, where they confronted the man who slaughtered their loved ones while they slept. Goncalves' older sister Alivea Goncalves tore into Kohberger as a 'delusional, pathetic, hypochondriadic loser' and demanded: 'Sit up straight when I talk to you.' 'I won't stand her and give you what you want, I won't give you tears… instead I will call you what you are: sociopath, psychopath, murderer,' as Kohberger looked on intently. She concluded with the fiery comment: 'If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f***ing ass.' Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen - who came face-to-face with Kohberger moments after he murdered her friends - sobbed uncontrollably as she told him he was a 'hollow vessel' and 'less than human.' While the families and friends voiced their heartbreak, grief and fury at his crimes, Kohberger stared blankly without showing a flicker of emotion or remorse. When it was his chance to speak, he uttered the three words, 'I respectfully decline' - refusing the chance to reveal his motive and leaving the victims' families in the dark about the murders. Despite his guilty plea, many unanswered questions remain, including Kohberger's motive, who his intended target was and why he chose his victims. However, new information is starting to be made public since Moscow Police released a trove of 314 records from the investigation that ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest. Among the revelations are reports from the victims' friends and surviving roommates that there had been a string of disturbing incidents at 1122 King Road in the lead-up to the murders. Goncalves had told friends she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home and the roommates had come home to find the front door open one day. It is not clear if these incidents are related to Kohberger but cell phone evidence does indicate he was surveilling the home months before the murders.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Todd and Julie Chrisley want to ‘expose the truth' about life in prison in new reality show
Todd and Julie Chrisley are making a return to reality television with their new Lifetime series, The Chrisleys: Back to Reality, following their release from prison. The couple was convicted in 2022 of tax evasion and conspiring to defraud the IRS, with Julie also found guilty of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. They were released from prison in May after being pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump. The trailer for the new show indicates emotional family reunions and suggests the couple will openly discuss their arrest and time incarcerated. Since their release, Todd and Julie have also been co-hosting a podcast, where Julie has claimed to have developed a lung condition due to black mold and asbestos in prison.
