Appeals dismissed in Limerick Racecourse rape case

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

The Court of Criminal Appeal dismissed appeals by three defendants against their convictions and sentences in the Limerick Racecourse rape case. The convictions and sentences stand. The proceedings were reported on 11 June 2026.

At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced the two boys convicted of rape and sexual assault to seven and a half years’ detention each, with the final 18 months suspended. He sentenced the third defendant to five years in jail, with the final 18 months suspended. The conditions included engaging in sexual offending programmes and having no contact with the complainant.

The three stood trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork over the attack on a 16-year-old girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse on 26 December 2022. The two convicted of rape and sexual assault were then aged 13 and 15. The third, who was 15 at the time, was convicted of four counts of aiding and abetting the rapes and sexual assaults. He was acquitted of false imprisonment.

All three denied the charges. They eventually claimed the encounter was consensual. The court heard that the third defendant moved the car during the attack. At sentencing, prosecution counsel Dean Kelly said the defendant claimed he wanted to go for a drive; Mr Kelly rejected that explanation and said the car was moved away from prying eyes.

The appeal included a challenge to the trial judge’s decision not to discharge the jury after prosecution witnesses helped a juror who had become ill. The appeal court found no valid concern arose from the incident and rejected the other grounds. The juror who became ill had been discharged during the trial.