A 30-year-old man has been charged in relation to a complaint made about an incident that allegedly occurred in the US in November, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said today, Monday, April 14.
It is understood that the charges relate to an alleged incident that occurred during an Armagh GAA trip to Miami, Florida in November.
"A 30-year-old man was arrested on 10th December 2024 on suspicion of a number of sexual-related offences alleged to have taken place in the United States of America in November 2024," the PSNI told IrishCentral on Monday afternoon.
"He was later released on bail to allow for further enquiries to be carried out.
"He has been charged today [April 14] with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
"He is due to appear at Armagh Magistrates’ Court on 6th May.
"As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service and police will not be commenting further as criminal justice proceedings progress."
The PSNI did not confirm the name of the man who was arrested.
In a widely reported statement on Monday, Patrick Higgins of Belfast-based law firm Donnelly and Wall said he was "shocked" by the PSNI's decision to charge his client "in relation to an incident that occurred outside the jurisdiction last year."
Higgins said: “I believe there was no necessity to arrest my client.
"A formal complaint was made to the PSNI on 20th November 2024. No contact was made between the PSNI and my client for three weeks. When requested he presented himself voluntarily at Banbridge Police station where he was arrested over four months ago.
“The request by the PSNI to charge, I believe, is without merit and shall be challenged further down the line.
“I believe the decision to charge the suspect to Court by the PSNI is influenced by the media publicity this case has attracted due to his profession and in breach of my client’s right to a fair trial and in breach of his right to private and family rights.
“My client maintains his innocence and has instructed me to contest the charges fully.”
The PSNI enquiry was first reported by the Sunday World on December 8.
The report came after "unsubstantiated claims about the alleged incident have been widely circulated on social media in recent weeks," the Irish News noted at the time.
According to the Sunday World, a complaint was made by "one of the near-100 strong party" who traveled to Miami in November as part of Armagh GAA's celebrations for winning the 2024 GAA All Ireland Senior Football Championship.
The complaint was lodged with the PSNI after the group's return to Ireland, the Sunday World reported.
Armagh reportedly received around £100,000 (about €120k / $127k) from GAA headquarters for the end-of-season holiday, which happens every year for the All-Ireland winners. The trip was additionally funded by fundraising carried out by clubs within Co Armagh.
The Armagh group - which included players, staff, wives, and girlfriends - flew from Dublin to Miami on November 13 and returned to Dublin on November 20. In Miami, the Armagh group stayed at the five-star Eden Roc hotel and attended a college football match and a basketball game.
After the reports emerged, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said in December he couldn't say much about the incident, adding: "We would wait to be approached by another jurisdiction for any help that we can offer them."
The GAA said at the time that it was "aware of a reported incident" and was "responding to serious allegations."
"We can confirm Armagh GAA is continuing to respond to this matter in collaboration with Ulster GAA, the GAA at Central Level and the PSNI," the GAA said to the Irish Examiner in December.
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