A 30-year-old man was arrested on December 10 last year on suspicion of a number of sexual-related offences alleged to have taken place in the United States of America the previous month.
He was later released on bail to allow for further enquiries to be carried out.
He has been charged today (Monday) 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 May 6.
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 accused’s solicitor, Patrick Higgins of law firm Donnelly and Wall said: “I am shocked by the decision of the PSNI to charge my client in relation to an incident that occurred outside the jurisdiction last year.”
Mr Higgins added: “I believe there was no necessity to arrest my client.
“A formal complaint was made to the PSNI on November 20, 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.”
