A man gets stay over alleged historic indecent assaults

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A man facing alleged indecent assault charges secured a stay in the High Court, reported on 1 April 2019, after permission was granted for his challenge. The charges concern alleged assaults on males during the 1970s and 1980s at locations outside Dublin. He denies the charges and argues that delay, deceased witnesses, fading memory and lost evidence create a serious risk of an unfair trial. He is seeking to have the decision sending him for trial before the Circuit Criminal Court quashed.

Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted permission for the judicial review and stayed the prosecution pending its outcome. The proceedings also seek declarations concerning alleged breaches of fair-trial and expeditious-trial rights. The case was due to return before the court in May.