Court to watch entirety of victim's evidence after appeal by sex abuser

The Court of Appeal will review video recordings of a complainant's full evidence in a sexual assault case following an appeal by the convicted man. Fergus Carson, aged 55, of Main Street in Convoy, County Donegal, was convicted by jury in the Central Criminal Court last year of six counts of sexual assault of a girl at a relative's residence between May and September 2012. He received a five-year sentence with the final fifteen months suspended in March 2016. Carson's barrister argued on appeal that fairness and the right to confront the accuser were at issue, contending the complainant became unresponsive during cross-examination when questioned on inconsistencies in her account. The Director of Public Prosecutions' counsel submitted the cross-examination had been conducted professionally and the jury was fully aware of the witness's demeanour throughout. A three-judge panel comprising Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice Alan Mahon, and Mr Justice John Edwards reserved judgement pending review of the evidence recordings.