21-year-old man acquitted of Donegal rape

A 21-year-old man has been acquitted at the Central Criminal Court of rape allegations arising from an incident in Donegal Town in July 2012. The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charge. The trial heard evidence that the complainant and the accused, both aged 18 at the time, engaged in consensual sexual contact in an alleyway before the allegation arose. The defence case centred on the position that the accused ceased sexual contact immediately when the woman expressed her wishes. The jury was shown footage of the accused's garda interview, during which issues relating to the interviewing garda's conduct were raised. Mr Justice Tony Hunt addressed the jury following the verdict, acknowledging the difficulty inherent in cases where consensual activity is alleged to have become non-consensual. The woman wept as the acquittal was delivered. The judge noted that both parties had likely endured considerable hardship pending trial conclusion.