Carlow pensioner appeals rape and indecent assault convictions

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

A Carlow pensioner who cannot be named for legal reasons launched an appeal against convictions for rape and indecent assault in the Court of Appeal. The proceedings were reported on 3 November 2023.

He had pleaded not guilty to all the offences and was convicted of two rape counts, seven indecent-assault counts against one victim, and three further indecent-assault counts. He argued that the trial judge should have separated the counts, withdrawn the case from the jury or halted the prosecution because delay and unavailable witnesses prejudiced him. The Court of Appeal reserved judgment.