Courts / Wicklow / Report

'Hard to see' victims interest in being identified should child rapist be named, court told

Date
2020-10-20

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Wicklow

County
Wicklow

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 20 October 2020, Mr Justice Tony Hunt considered an application by the legal representatives of a 56‑year‑old man who had pleaded guilty in 2015 to repeated rape and sexual assault of his wife's two sons, aged under ten at the time of the abuse, which occurred between 1993 and 2003. The victims, now adults, had previously requested that their statutory anonymity be waived so that the perpetrator could be named publicly. However, Mr Hunt had placed a stay on the waiving of anonymity because related cases were pending in Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court. In July, the prosecutor informed the judge that the Wicklow trials had concluded and the Director of Public Prosecutions was now seeking to lift the anonymity order. The defendant has changed legal counsel several times; at a recent hearing he expressed fear that publication of his identity would endanger him and stated he was in therapy.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Hard to see' victims interest in being identified should child rapist be named, court told. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

2020-10-20 Publication

Why: However, because there were related cases to be prosecuted at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court, Mr Justice Tony Hunt placed a stay on the waiving of the anonymity. CNI source report