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Jury verdicts in Munster child abuse trial may be 'tainted or unfair', judge told

Summary

In a 10‑week Munster child sexual abuse trial, five members of an extended family were found guilty on all but one of 78 counts. The defendants, aged 27 to 57, were convicted of sexually abusing three children between 2014 and 2016, and of neglect and mistreatment of other children. The children, aged one to nine at the time of the offences, were taken into care in 2016. All defendants denied the charges. Defence counsel argued that a juror's letter to the judge may have tainted the verdicts, seeking to have them set aside. The judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, noted that verdicts are final and that any review would fall to the Court of Appeal. The defendants are scheduled for a sentence hearing in January, and the hearing was attended via video link. The unnamed 27-year-old was acquitted.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jury verdicts in Munster child abuse trial may be 'tainted or unfair', judge told. Charges or matters: mistreating three of them by giving them medication; eight of the nine charges against him; six counts of rape and two counts of sexual exploitation; all 10 counts against him; five counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual exploitation and two counts of rape. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted

When:

• August 2014 Other
• April 2016 Other
• 2014 and 2016 Other
• 2021-12-17 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal

Read the original CNI report