Teen sexually assaulted by pub boss after Eurovision last whereas dad was outdoors

Brooke Coleman was just 16 when she was sexually assaulted by her boss Paul Baker at The Crossbar in Gurteen, Sligo, after staying behind to watch the Eurovision final

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A teenager who was sexually assaulted by her pub boss while her dad waited for her in the car outside has relived her horrifying ordeal. Brooke Coleman was just 16 and working as a waitress at The Crossbar in Gurteen, Sligo, when depraved landlord Paul Baker, 38, assaulted her.

The horrifying incident took place between May 11, 2024, and May 12, 2024, after the teenager, Baker and another young barman stayed behind to enjoy a few drinks and watch the Eurovision final – an event for which Brooke’s parents had not given their consent.

The other barman left just before Baker struck as Brooke was about to leave to meet her father, Damian, who was waiting to collect her in the car park outside. On May 1, Sligo Circuit Court Judge Keenan Johnson sentenced the twisted Baker to 27 months in prison for assaulting the teen, reports the Irish Mirror.

Brooke, who waived her right to anonymity, discussed the impact the sexual assault has had on her life, her hope that other victims will find the courage to speak out and why the entire court process needs to be reformed.

When asked about the moment he was imprisoned and what she was feeling, the Leaving Certificate student, now 18 years old, said: “It was so surreal, like finally after two years. I don’t even know how to explain it. The happiness of knowing I’m not going to have to worry about him when I’m going down the village.”

She said witnessing the handcuffs being placed on him was the moment she realised justice had finally been delivered. Brooke explained: “My one hope was he wasn’t gonna get a suspended sentence”.

Father Damian, who was also present in court for the sentencing alongside his wife and Brooke’s mother Jessica, said: “Unfortunately, when the judge was passing sentence, he wasn’t brought to the box.

“He was sat in the public gallery beside his wife, right behind us. When the judge passed the custodial sentence, he had to walk up and sign his bond. As he was signing the bond, the prison officer came right up and stood beside Jessica.

“And then [Paul] turned around and came back and just put his two hands out. The clicking of the handcuffs going on him and the jingle jangling of that chain as he walked out of the courtroom, I don’t think that’ll ever leave me.”

The court was told that on the evening of the sexual assault, Brooke’s father, Damian, had messaged her to say he was outside. The family home is situated just 400 metres from the pub.

Sergeant Helen Munnelly, who presented the evidence against the predator, said that when Brooke went to leave, Baker grabbed the waistband of her shorts.

Sgt Munnelly went on to explain that Baker forced his hand inside the victim’s shorts. Brooke told Sgt Munnelly that she felt unable to turn and face Baker and that she dropped to the ground in an attempt to escape him.

The court was told Baker forced his hand down her shorts and sexually assaulted her three times. Sgt Munnelly detailed that the first assault went on for 30 seconds and that the second assault continued for 40 – 50 seconds. On each occasion, she dropped to the ground in an attempt to escape him. CCTV footage was also retrieved, capturing the incident at the bar.

Brooke said: “I never expected anything like that to ever happen … it was just a happy place to work.” When questioned about what was running through her mind during the attack, Brooke said: “I was just shocked and so confused.”

She added: “When it was going on, all I could think about was getting myself out of the situation, and my main aim was to get out. At certain points, I could see my dad’s jeep outside the window, but (in the pub) you can see out, but you can’t see in the window. I had repeatedly said to him – ‘No, my dad’s outside.'”

Brooke revealed that in the immediate aftermath, she remained in a “state of shock,” and she wracked her brain attempting to find a reason why Baker did what he did.

She initially kept quiet about what had occurred, despite her dad sensing something was wrong when he collected her. Brooke explained it was her little sister’s communion the following day, and she didn’t want to steal her “limelight”. She opened up to her parents on Monday, May 13, 2024 and her dad Damian contacted the Gardai.

The father-of-two, who is convinced the attack was planned and that his daughter was groomed, said: “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, really. It’s not something that you can ever prepare for

“She was dropped to work most evenings. If she wasn’t dropped to work, she walked down during the brighter evenings, but she would have been collected every night from work.

“There was that sense of guilt initially where we had let her down, I hadn’t protected her enough. But as the judge said in the courtroom, there was nothing else that we could have done to have stopped what was happening.”

Brooke said Gardaí launched an investigation within hours of her dad’s phone call. She said initially, everything moved very quickly. The clothes she was wearing were taken by the investigation team along with her phone. The following day, she was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit in Galway.

She explained: “In one sense, I felt like I was almost getting in trouble in the very beginning. “You know, being 16 and having your phone taken away from you and that sense of communication gone as well.”

Brooke revealed she suffers from recurring nightmares about the assault, and she constantly sees Baker as he resided across the road from her grandparents.

In another unsettling episode, Brooke recalled attending her sister’s school play, only to find Baker was also present. She continued: “My fifth year was like the worst school year I’ve ever had. Every day was just replaying the thing in my head over and over again.”

“I got to the point I was asking my dad if I could drop out of school. I always think back to how I was before it and how I am now and how much I’ve changed between the person I was then and the person that I am now.”

During sentencing, Judge Johnson highlighted the aggravating factors were the age disparity, that it was a gross breach of trust, a serious violation of the victim’s bodily integrity and had a negative impact on the victim.

However, in mitigation, the judge highlighted that Baker had no prior convictions, was considered at a low risk of re-offending and had a solid work history. He also acknowledged that the defendant’s guilty plea spared the State and the victim from enduring a trial. Baker was handed a three-year prison sentence with the final nine months suspended.

When questioned about her decision to share her story, Brooke stated: “I wanted to go public with my story because in one sense I’m not embarrassed about what happened, it wasn’t my fault and I want other people to come forward and feel confident enough in themselves to speak out about it because I know it’s not an easy thing to do. It needs to happen.”

For the first time in two years, Brooke can now fully concentrate on her Leaving Certificate next month. She expressed that life feels “lighter” now. Her primary concern currently is whether she wants to study English and Religion at DCU or pursue a career in teaching art. She is also planning to do a charity skydive for Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland.

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