Four trials and 'six years of torture' before child rapist convicted, court hears

A man has been convicted at the Central Criminal Court in Sligo of sexually abusing a child over a five-year period in Donegal. Liam Carr, aged 59 and with an address in Ballina, Falcarragh, County Donegal, was found guilty of 31 counts including sexual assault, anal rape and oral rape of the boy between September 1995 and September 2000. The jury could not agree on four further counts. The case reached trial four times after legal issues and previous jury disagreements. The victim, now aged 39, described the legal process in a statement read to the court as six years of "complete torture" since first approaching gardaí in October 2015. He stated he had given testimony on four separate occasions. Defence counsel indicated Carr does not accept the verdicts and intends to appeal his conviction. The case has been adjourned for sentencing on 17 January 2022.