Security guard sentenced for sexual assault at Dundrum Shopping Centre

A 35-year-old security guard has been sentenced to five years in prison after he sexually assaulted a teenage customer at his workplace. Abdul Rahman Mohammed of Mountjoy Square, Dublin, was working at Penney’s in Dundrum Shopping Centre when he assaulted the child, who was only 15 at the time.

The victim had been caught shoplifting, hiding a make-up brush and face mask in her pocket. She was then led to a room where she was left with Mohammed, who told her to remove her clothes from her underwear to prove she wasn’t hiding anything else. He also touched the victim after making her strip.

Mohammed ensured the girl was isolated, threatening that her friends would be in trouble if they waited for her. It also appeared that the room’s CCTV equipment had been tampered with, causing the footage to blur.

After allowing her to put her clothes back on, Mohammed asked her to pay, to which she agreed. Waiting for him in the car park, she expected to pay €2.50 for the stolen goods. However, Mohammed demanded €250, which neither the victim nor her friends had. One friend then returned to Penney’s to ask whether shoplifters could be asked to pay security staff after being caught.

Despite denying all charges, the jury did not accept Mohammed’s claim that the group of teens had been following him around and that he was not guilty of the alleged offences.

The victim suffered from depression in the aftermath of the attack. In her statement, she detailed how she saw his face when she closed her eyes, leaving her with a lasting sense of fear.