UCD pursuing the student for ‘a couple of hundred thousands’ in costs following lost High Court case
The medical student who had graphic images of her following a sexual assault circulated to UCD students and staff was refused the opportunity to resit exams which she missed due to attending an abortion procedure required as a result of being raped by a UCD student, TD Ruth Coppinger has claimed to the Dáil.
Speaking at ‘Questions on Policy or Legislation’ on the afternoon of Wednesday February 25th, the People Before Profit-Solidarity TD told the Dáil that the student was not permitted by UCD to resit exams that she missed while attending an abortion. The abortion was required after she was raped by a UCD Medical School Student in the year below her, the Dublin West TD has claimed. “As a result of being raped, [the student] became pregnant - she had to have a termination and she missed some of her medical exams due to having to schedule that. She asked UCD [if she could] re-sit her exams over the summer, UCD said no.”
Ruth Coppinger further claimed that in their academic advice for the student, UCD informed the student that she would have to repeat a year of her studies, which would place her into the same academic cohort as her assailant. “[UCD] attempted to make her drop back a year, the year in which her rapist was also a student.”
“[UCD] attempted to make her drop back a year, the year in which her rapist was also a student.”
UCD pursue the rape victim for “a couple of hundred thousands in costs,” weeks after second case of image-based sexual abuse
The Dublin West TD further stated that the student took High Court action against UCD in order to resit her exams without having to repeat the academic year. Coppinger asserted that the student lost the High Court action against UCD. “[The student] was then forced to take High Court action to try [to] stop UCD putting her into the assailant's year. UCD fought the case and won.”
Ruth Coppinger further claimed that costs were awarded against the student after she lost the High Court case. “Two weeks after the second case of image abuse against her, they pursued the rape victim for a couple of hundred thousands in costs against her,” she stated. The ‘second case of image abuse against her’ that Coppinger makes reference to is the sending of the graphic image of the student being sent into a student group chat in early January of this year.
Coppinger claimed that the student has not been able to continue her studies in UCD. “She hasn't been able to continue her medical degree since 2023, as UCD have blocked her from doing so.”
Coppinger concluded her speech with a question addressed to Minister Jack Chambers. “Minister, is it good enough that UCD is happy or okay to have a rapist studying medicine but not a rape victim? What can be done to make UCD help this student finish her degree as soon as possible so she isn't further punished for being the victim?”
“Minister, is it good enough that UCD is happy or okay to have a rapist studying medicine but not a rape victim?”
Deputy Leader of Fianna Fail, Jack Chambers, Calls on UCD to help the student to finish her studies
Jack Chambers, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fail, and Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, responded to the question. “I've seen some of the reporting on this online, it's shocking what that particular student experienced and UCD, or indeed any third level institution, should work in a way that with a student who has undergone shocking circumstances, and indeed any third level institution or educational institution should be working in a way that allows such a student to finish her studies, in a way that I think would reflect all of our second level or third level institutions.”
Minister Jack Chambers stated, “I would call on UCD to work with the student to allow her to complete her studies as she's gone through enough.”
The Minister continued, “I was shocked as indeed everyone in this house has been about what she has been subjected to in [this] recent period and I think it's incumbent on every public institution to work with her so she can complete her studies - because she's gone through enough.”
Deadline for UCD to meet UCDSU’s demands has arrived, with no demands fully met at current
On Friday, February 20th, UCDSU publicised a list of demands that it had sent to UCD regarding UCD and the School of Medicine's response to the image-based sexual abuse experienced by the student. On Thursday 19th of February, UCDSU sent an email to senior UCD management and the School of Medicine, with a list of demands set to “rectify the horrific abuse a student of the University has suffered,” with a deadline of Wednesday the 25th 9.00am for a response.
At 12.50pm on Wednesday 25th of February, UCDSU released a follow-up statement regarding UCD’s response to the image-based sexual abuse.
The statement, posted via UCDSU’s social media channels, began, “Having reviewed the University's response (received at 08:37, 25th February), we must state clearly that it is unacceptable. The reply fails to meaningfully address any of the nine reasonable and minimum actions outlined in the student action plan submitted following the meeting with the School of Medicine and provides no indication that the University is prepared to seriously address the concerns raised.”
The statement continued, “The response fails to engage with any of the core issues identified by students, including accountability, transparency of process, and the institution-wide actions required to restore confidence among the impacted cohort. Instead, it represents a continuation of the very failures students have repeatedly highlighted.”
“Most concerning is the continued exclusion of the student at the centre of this case from meaningful engagement in the University's response. The student was not consulted prior to the issuance of the university-wide email on Friday, 20 February, and was subsequently removed from the reply list to correspondence responding to Students' Union demands despite being included in the original communication.”
As it stands, none of the nine demands have been met in full.
What happens if costs are awarded against someone, but they cannot pay?
The general rule in High Court actions is that “costs follow the event,” meaning that, if you win your case, the other side will be required to pay your costs. Conversely, if you lose your case, you will be required to pay the other party’s costs. However, the winning party can voluntarily choose to waive costs.
The winner of the case becomes a ‘judgment creditor’, whilst the person whom the judgement is made against becomes a ‘judgment debtor’. There are various ways in which the costs can be settled. Firstly, costs can be paid outright, if the judgment debtor has the funds available to them.
However, if the judgment debtor does not have the funds to settle the costs, their personal assets can be seized. Whilst they cannot be left without ‘certain necessities of life,’ the judgment debtor cannot make any further large purchases whilst owning a debt to the judgment creditor - for instance, a car or land. If such a purchase is made, the judgment creditor can have the assets seized.
There is also the potential for a Garnishee Order to be made in order to reclaim the debt. An order can be placed on the judgment debtor’s income (e.g., their wages) for a fixed amount to be paid to the judgment creditor until the debt is repaid in full.
In Ireland, a judgment debt can be enforced for up to 12 years.
UCD fail to safe guard against image based sexual assault as images of the student following sexual assault
On February 12th, The University Observer broke the story that UCD had failed to safeguard against image based sexual assault after images of the student following the sexual assault were sent to staff email addresses and student groupchats on more than one occasion. TD Ruth Coppinger told the Dáil that UCD “does not seem to have due regard for safeguarding in respect of image-based sexual abuse or how to react”. She said that there was “no compassion or real sympathy shown to the victim”. The image showed the student “nude, bruised and unconscious”. It was accompanied by messages threatening further rape and encouraging the student to “take her own life”.
Coppinger criticised the response of UCD to the incidents. She said “I cannot blame UCD for the circulation of the image in the first instance, but I can blame it when it was subsequently shared on two further occasions”. Coppinger told the Dáil that on “On one occasion, the university paper was threatened if it took up this story."
Medical Student Issues response
On February 18th, the medical student who was the victim of the sexual assault and image-based sexual abuse issued a statement via the University Observer. She said that “UCDs lack of support has been life shattering”. The student said that “The fact UCD has made public statements about this matter in recent days, before reaching out to me directly, has left me feeling anxious, afraid and completely humiliated”.
She continued, “ I was not contacted by the School of Medicine when the image first circulated in 2025, nor when it resurfaced in November 2025. While the University chose to meet with class representatives about these incidents, I was neither informed of nor invited to those meetings; I learned about them through my peers.”
“While seeing the image was deeply distressing, reading the accompanying comments was equally, if not more, traumatic. The messages included comments suggesting that I should be drugged and raped again. Other messages described me as “a real cocky lil slut”. One message claimed that “everyone is laughing at u stupid crying complaining b***h,” and another said, “IM NOT GOING ANYWHERE TILL UR HANGING IN A TREE” .”
Towards the end of her statement on February 18th, the student said, "In my view, the only “zero tolerance” within UCD and its School of Medicine is towards students speaking out. I am not a reputational issue to be managed by UCD - I am a young student whose life has been shattered and whose dream of becoming a doctor has been destroyed.”
UCD statement and victim response
On Friday, February 20th, UCD President Orla Feely circulated a university-wide email to all staff and students. The email stated that, “The University acknowledges the deep distress and anguish that this shocking and abhorrent activity from an unknown source has caused the student,” and further stated that the University had immediately reported the incident to An Garda Síochána. The email further claimed that the student has received support from UCD, claiming that the victim, ““has been supported by the Head of our Student Advisory Services, who has met with her on several occasions and has offered ongoing support, regular meetings, check-ins and information about additional support.”
The student claims that she was not consulted prior to the email being sent. In a statement to the University Observer, the student claimed that effectively all support she has received has come from UCDSU, rather than the University itself. The student commented that, “I am deeply grateful for the support of UCD Students’ Union in this matter. The Union has been effectively my only source of support since this horrific experience began within UCD.”
The student further stated, “I was not consulted by UCD regarding the contents of their email prior to its circulation to staff and students across the University.”