A cleaner at the HSE Covid contact tracing center followed a man into the bathroom and performed a sex act on himself

A cleaner at an HSE Covid contact tracing center followed a man into the bathrooms and performed a sexual act on himself in front of the victim, a court has heard.

anos Carolea (36) had been arrested months earlier for reporting herself and committing the same offense in front of an undercover guard in the toilets of a downtown store.

Judge Bryan Smyth fined him €500 in Dublin District Court when he admitted both offences.

The court heard that Corolea had already paid a “very high price” for his offense and was receiving “help”.

The accused, who is from Romania but has an address at The Hermitage, Balgriffin, Dublin 13, pleaded guilty to masturbating in public, at the HSE contact tracing offices, Heuston South Quarter on December 8th. ‘last year.

He also admitted an earlier charge for the same offense at Marks & Spencer, on Mary Street, on June 8, 2021.

The court heard it was reported to gardai that the office cleaner – Carolea – had twice followed a victim into the bathroom at the contact tracing centre.

On the second occasion, the housekeeper entered a bathroom stall without closing the door and “slowly began to masturbate” in front of the man.

“He could see the defendant’s penis in his hand making slow up and down movements,” a guard sergeant said.

The victim reported it to the management who went to the gardaí.

In the previous incident, an undercover guard was in the Marks & Spencer public toilet at 2.45pm as part of an undercover operation when Corolea came in and waved him into the cabin next to his.

Moments later, Garda Seamus Donoghue said, the accused exited the cabin and walked towards the secret guard who was washing his hands.

Corolea began to masturbate in front of the garda and when a second plainclothes officer entered the bathroom, the accused “did not appear to be put off by this and continued his act of public masturbation”.

The garda identified themselves and Corolea was arrested.

He was “completely cooperative and helpful with the investigation,” Gda Donoghue said.

Corolea had no prior convictions.

He was married and had children but now separated following the cases which caused great distress and damage to the defendant and his family, defense attorney Michael Kelleher said.

His family had supported him and Corolea felt enormous guilt for what he had brought them.

A condition of his family’s support was that he “receive help”, Mr Kelleher said, and a report from a psychologist was submitted to the court.

The accused acknowledged that what had happened was “not acceptable”, that it had stopped and would not happen again.

He was now working in construction.