Courts / Limerick / Report

11 accused in child sex abuse case to be tried together

Date
2020-05-26

Stage
Charge Or Pretrial

Primary locality
Limerick

Summary

Lawyers informed a High Court judge that the State intends to conduct a single trial for six women and five men accused of multiple offences involving alleged sexual abuse and neglect of children. The 11 defendants, aged between 25 and 76, face more than 200 charges, including sexual assault, sexual exploitation and child cruelty and neglect under Section 246 of the Children Act 2001. The alleged victims are all juveniles, and the offences are said to have occurred at various locations in Limerick between 2014 and 2016. The defendants, who have addresses in several Munster counties, were arrested and charged earlier last year, and books of evidence were served on them at a District Court sitting in November. The case was listed for mention in the Central Criminal Court, where Mr Justice Paul McDermott heard applications concerning disclosure of material by the prosecution to the defence teams.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 11 accused in child sex abuse case to be tried together. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

July 13 Hearing Or Sentence
2014 and 2016 Incident
2020-05-26 Publication

Why: The Limerick Leader previously reported that a district court judge imposed strict reporting restrictions in order to protect the identity of the alleged victims. CNI source report