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A woman has been left "traumatised" following a horrifying incident on a Cork city bus, where a vile pervert sat opposite her and began to "masturbate". The Gardaí have confirmed they are investigating the shocking incident, which took place on a Bus Éireann 226 service around midday on Monday, October 13. The woman, who wishes to remain unnamed , was travelling to work and stated she was in such a "state of shock and fear" during the ordeal that she was virtually paralysed. Speaking to CorkBeo, she first sensed something amiss when a man boarded the double-decker bus and chose to sit directly across the aisle from her , mere feet away. She noted that she was the only person on the upper level before he got on. She recounted the chilling moment when she glanced over and saw the man had "already exposed himself and had begun to masturbate." Fearing for her safety, she quickly pulled out her phone in an attempt to deter him and to gather evidence to report the terrifying incident to the Gardaí, reports Cork Beo . After he spotted the camera, she described how the deviant "covered himself briefly but, horrifically, did not stop." She shared: "I had a traumatising experience last week that I know, sadly, many women can relate to... Last week, while taking the 226 bus to work just before noon, a man boarded at the stop after mine. "Despite there being an almost empty upper deck on the double-decker, he chose to sit directly across from me, which immediately raised my alarm bells. When I glanced over, I saw that he had already exposed himself and had begun to masturbate. "Painfully, I have experienced this kind of behaviour before - a couple of times - and in the past, I never took action. In my state of shock and fear, I couldn't move or alert anyone. I was terrified." The woman courageously filmed the man for approximately ten minutes, revealing that "not once" was he put off by the camera, nor "the public setting, my clear lack of consent, or even the voices of children on the bus." She explained that she hopes sharing the vile incident will highlight the issue for "the many other women who experience this regularly here in Cork." She has also reported the matter to Gardaí and provided the footage as evidence. When questioned about the incident, a Garda spokesperson told Cork Beo: "Gardaí received a report of an incident that occurred in the Clontarf Street area of Cork city between 12-12:30pm on Monday 13th October 2025. Investigations are ongoing." A representative for Bus Éireann stated that the company "has not received a report of any incident as described." They further added: "When such incidents are reported to Bus Éireann, an investigation is commenced in line with our established policies and procedures. This includes providing assistance to An Garda Síochána where required. The safety of our passengers and staff is of paramount importance to Bus Éireann."
