Nabil Habbar followed a vulnerable teenager celebrating her Leaving Certificate results, returned after being warned away and sexually assaulted her while she repeatedly said no. The Algerian national received prison and probation supervision. In 2026, the court was told that he had been served with an exclusion order and removed from Ireland.
The Leaving Cert night assault
In August 2021, the teenager was walking home in Athlone after celebrating her results. Habbar approached, called her beautiful and steered her in a particular direction. She ran to a friend and Habbar was warned to back off. After she thought he had left and separated from her friends, he returned.
Habbar forcibly kissed her while holding her face and neck, digitally penetrated her despite her saying no and placed her hand over his penis through his clothes. Another man intervened after she screamed. Medical examination recorded injuries consistent with her account.
Habbar initially said nothing happened, then claimed the teenager liked it or sought drugs, and eventually apologised. Judge Keenan Johnson stressed that the victim had never initiated sexual contact.
Conviction and sentence
Habbar pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault. He had no previous convictions. A probation report assessed a low reoffending risk but recorded that he had not fully accepted responsibility.
On 14 November 2023, the court imposed three years and six months, suspending the final nine months for four years. The immediate custodial portion was two years and nine months. Later reports described twelve months of post-release probation supervision.
The victim refused €1,000 Habbar brought to court. The judge directed it to a domestic-violence charity.
Exclusion and removal
In 2026, the case returned to court because Irish probation supervision could no longer operate after Habbar’s removal. Prosecuting counsel said he had been served with an exclusion order on 24 April and removed from the State. The variation request was not based on a probation breach.
Reports agree that he is barred from returning into 2029 but conflict on the expiry month: BreakingNews.ie reported September, while two local Court Reporting Scheme accounts reported December. This file records the discrepancy rather than silently choosing one.
Habbar had worked as an accountant in Algeria and in Irish hospitality. His original immigration route, permission type and asylum history were not reported.
Chronology
- August 2021: Sexual assault in Athlone.
- 14 November 2023: Sentence imposed at Mullingar Circuit Court.
- 24 April 2026: Exclusion order served, according to prosecution evidence.
- By July 2026: Removed from Ireland.
- Into 2029: Prohibited from returning; exact expiry month disputed.
Cost benchmark
The two-year nine-month immediate term at the Irish Prison Service’s 2024 staffed-space average represents a gross capacity benchmark of €272,448. A simple quarter-remission illustration is €204,336.
Questions the State should answer
- What legal and risk criteria produced the exclusion order?
- What did the prison, supervision and removal operation cost in total?
- How will the return prohibition be enforced across travel routes?
- What replaces unfinished probation work after removal?
- Why do public reports conflict on the exclusion expiry month?