Healthcare worker jailed for sex assault of patient
- Dignity 4Patients
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
By Richard McCullen - LMFM - 02/05/2026 - [Raymond Marmio] - [IRELAND]
Judge Sinéad McMullan noted the most aggravating factor in the case was the breach of trust between a patient who was asleep, and the defendant who was a healthcare assistant.
A former healthcare worker was jailed at Drogheda Circuit Court for sexually assaulting a patient at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda six and a half years ago.
Raymond Marmion (54) with an address at Nicholas Street, Dundalk had been found guilty of the offence following a trial earlier this year.
The jury had heard a patient in the hospital woke up in the early hours of 12th Sept 2019 to find the defendant had lifted the waistband of his boxers and was stroking him while holding a pen light.
The patient asked the defendant what he was doing and told him to stop.
The defendant replied he was just checking the man's chest drain and left the room.
The patient later made a complaint to gardaí and when interviewed the defendant agreed that he had been in the patient's room on the night in question checking his chest drain but denied touching his private area.
The court heard the injured party had declined to make a victim impact statement.
Following the trial the defendant was remanded on bail and the subsequent sentence hearing in camera was told that he did not accept the verdict of the jury and maintained his innocence.
A defence barrister told the court the offence had not been premeditated but fleeting and opportunistic.
He said his client who had since lost his job was the primary carer for his elderly mother.
The barrister urged Judge Sinéad McMullan to impose either a short custodial sentence or a suspended sentence.
The judge received a number of testimonials on behalf of the defendant and said there was no doubt he was dedicated to his work.
Judge McMullan noted the most aggravating factor in the case was the breach of trust between a patient who was asleep and the defendant who was a healthcare assistant.
The judge imposed a sentence of two years and nine months, adding that she was not suspending any part of it. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary:- The vulnerability of a patient in a hospital can never be underestimated. Male or Female, the trust they place in caregivers to care for them during ill health should never be taken advantage of for personal gratification. As the judge stated, the breach of trust was serious enough to warrant prison time and removal from their trusted position as a healthcare worker.
