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Reporter competition twenty-nine entrant

Cezar Toader: 13 convictions before following a man home and assaulting him

Stephen Markham repeatedly said no. Cezar Toader followed him from a pizza shop, forced his way into the apartment complex and sexually assaulted him in the lift and again at his front door.

Published 28 July 2026 · Remigration Ireland case ledger
13Previous convictions
On bailAt time of offence
2 assaultsOne continuing encounter
3½ yearsActive sentence

Stephen Markham waived his anonymity because he wanted to encourage other victims to report sexual violence. His account records a simple boundary stated again and again: he was not interested, did not consent and wanted the stranger following him to leave.

Followed home after collecting a pizza

On 22 July 2020, Markham went to collect food on Dame Street after returning from a night out with his boyfriend. Cezar Toader approached, asked if he was gay and said he wanted fun.

Markham repeatedly refused. Toader nevertheless followed him home and grabbed his arm. When they reached the apartment block, Toader pushed through the door and forced Markham towards the lift.

Two assaults after repeated refusals

Inside the lift, Toader became forceful and aggressive and sexually assaulted Markham. Markham managed to push him away when the lift opened.

Toader continued to the apartment, pushed the door open and sexually assaulted him again. He ran only when Markham called out for his boyfriend. Markham went to a Garda station the next morning.

CCTV showed Toader following him home. Judge Orla Crowe later described the conduct as degrading, unwanted and a gross violation of bodily integrity.

The victim chose to be named

Markham said the assault changed the course of his life. He described PTSD, depression, anxiety, panic attacks and a transformation from a confident person into someone nervous and reclusive.

He also described the shame surrounding sexual violence against men and his fear of making a complaint. He ultimately reported because he worried that Toader could attack somebody else.

Prior record, bail and a bench warrant

Toader had 13 previous District Court convictions, including theft, handling stolen property and assault. None was reported as a similar sexual conviction, but he was on bail when he attacked Markham.

He pleaded guilty in June 2025, shortly before trial. He then failed to appear for a sentencing date, causing a bench warrant to issue. He remained in custody after that warrant was executed in October.

Defence counsel told the court that Toader supplied neither an apology nor an explanation. The judge treated both his bail status and the bench warrant as aggravating.

Sentence and origin

Judge Crowe imposed four years and suspended the final six months, leaving an active term of three and a half years. The sentence was backdated to October 2025. Toader must also engage with probation, particularly in relation to sexual offending.

Court reporting identifies him as being from Romania and part of the Roma community. He moved to Ireland in 2006 and worked in construction before a workplace accident. No reviewed source establishes asylum history, unlawful residence, deportation proceedings or a removal decision.

Case chronology

A transparent cost illustration

The Irish Prison Service reported a 2024 average of €99,072 per available staffed prison space, excluding capital expenditure. Applied to the three-and-a-half-year active term, that produces a conditional illustration of €346,752.

This is not a Toader-specific invoice. Actual custody, backdating, remission, historic rates and marginal spending differ. It excludes Garda work, prosecution, courts, legal aid, probation, counselling and the personal cost borne by Markham.

Sources