By Dayo Ade Olusola | Crime News|July 21, 2025
A 63-year-old transgender woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old male in a laneway in Dublin.
Ronaldo Otto, who also goes by the name Samantha Otto and is undergoing gender transition, was found guilty by a jury at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in May for the October 2022 assault in Rathmines.
The court heard the incident occurred when the teenage victim, who had recently completed secondary school and had just turned 18, was walking alone through a laneway listening to music.
Otto approached and groped him through his clothing without consent. Despite being asked to stop, Otto allegedly offered oral sex, which the victim declined. The victim managed to record parts of the encounter on his mobile phone and later contacted Gardaí.
Reading his victim impact statement in court, the young man described the lasting trauma of the incident. “I was forever changed after that,” he said. “I’m 21. I won’t get to be 18 again… and time waits for no one.”
Garda Liam O’Meara, who investigated the case, testified that Otto was identified via CCTV and subsequently arrested. Otto initially denied the allegations and claimed the victim had assaulted her. The case proceeded to trial, during which Otto fully contested the charges.
The court also heard that Otto has a prior conviction for assault causing harm, dating back to 2019, when she poured boiling water on someone who had rejected her advances. That sentence had been suspended in 2020.
During sentencing, Judge Pauline Codd described the assault as a “gross violation of [the victim’s] bodily integrity.” She criticised Otto for using “lewd language” and for attempting to discredit the victim’s character during the trial.
The judge said the court had seen no evidence of remorse, though Otto had accepted the jury’s verdict.
Judge Codd acknowledged Otto’s complex background, including growing up in the Philippines, financial hardship, and a long-standing gender transition process involving hormone therapy and breast augmentation. She noted Otto had been supported by Ruhama, an NGO for women affected by prostitution and sex trafficking, since 2014.
The judge said the court had received evidence from Ruhama as well as documents regarding Otto’s attendance at adult education and hairdressing courses. Defence counsel Pieter LeVert highlighted that Otto, who came to Ireland in 2011, had suffered from vocal cord issues and was left voiceless, which contributed to her vulnerability and financial instability.
The court was told Otto has not yet completed legal gender recognition and remains biologically male. Judge Codd said this presented sentencing complications, especially regarding prison placement.
She referred to news reports about the lack of formal policy for housing transgender prisoners, with many held in near-isolation at Limerick Prison’s E wing.
Despite these concerns, Judge Codd stressed that the harm caused to the victim could not be understated. She noted the psychological impact and the absence of a guilty plea, which had forced the young man to relive the incident during a “gruelling” court process.
Otto has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register. The three-year sentence reflects what the judge called a necessary deterrent, given the prior conviction and the serious nature of the offence.
Otto, who was on a suspended sentence at the time of the offence, showed no visible reaction as the sentence was handed down..
