BRUNO NUNES DA SILVA SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT
A man assaulted a woman in a Liverpool bar while she was enjoying an evening out with friends.Bruno Nunes Da Silva, 27, was visibly upset in court as Judge Louise Brandon emphasized that women have a right to go out and have fun without facing harassment or assault.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Silva had traveled from his home in Dublin to watch Liverpool FC play at Anfield and later went out in the city.
During the night of September 16 this year, Silva was in the Black Rabbit bar on Fleet Street, where he made eye contact with a young woman dancing with friends.
Prosecutor Robert Wyn Jones explained that Silva approached her, danced with her briefly, kissed her, and she reciprocated without issue.
However, she eventually expressed disinterest and moved to sit with her friend on a nearby bench.
CCTV footage showed Silva walking over to her, unzipping his trousers, and pushing the tip of his penis into her mouth, which was at his waist height.
The shocked woman pushed him away by the hips, grabbed her drink, and moved away.
She ran outside, collapsing on the ground crying and vomiting.
Her friends comforted her, and one of her male friends recognized Da Silva outside the club.
He detained him and handed him over to door staff, who then handed him to police upon their arrival.
Da Silva, of Frederick North Lane in Dublin, pleaded guilty to rape.
He was sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life, and was visibly remorseful during the hearing.
Judge Brandon acknowledged his remorse but emphasized her responsibility to protect women, stating, "Women have the right to go out and enjoy themselves without being harassed and subjected to such behavior." The CCTV footage also showed the victim's friend visibly shaken, raising her hand to her mouth.
The victim was seen outside the club, crying and vomiting, with her friends providing support.
Defending Silva, Louise McCloskey described the incident as a "stupid drunken act," noting that he has no prior convictions in Ireland, Brazil, or elsewhere.
She explained that Silva moved from South America to Ireland, learned English, and worked as a chef.
She added that he traveled to Liverpool specifically to watch the football match and that he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol that night.
McCloskey emphasized that Silva appeared genuinely remorseful and admitted he acted impulsively without considering the consequences, describing it as "a momentary lack in his consequential thinking."
