Courts / Ireland / Report

Court clears way for rape trial to proceed

Summary

The High Court dismissed a bid to halt a rape trial for a man in his sixties accused of raping a seven‑year‑old girl in a field near her home over 40 years ago. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, denies the allegation. He had previously filed a challenge to prevent his trial at the Central Criminal Court, claiming that three key witnesses had died and that there was a real risk of an unfair trial. The Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the application, arguing the case should proceed. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ruled that the man had not established any grounds to discontinue the prosecution and cleared the way for the trial to continue. The judge noted that the prosecution intends to proceed on the basis that the single charge represents multiple alleged rapes over a five‑month period in the early 1970s.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court clears way for rape trial to proceed. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• 2016-10-07 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report