Courts / Ireland / Report

Gang rape accused told gardai he wanted to ask complainant to forgive him

Summary

The Central Criminal Court trial of four men accused of raping a then 17-year-old girl in the midlands on December 27, 2016, continued before Justice Tara Burns and a jury. All four accused, who cannot be named, have pleaded not guilty to the primary charge of rape. The first accused (22) also faces charges of two counts of sexual assault and false imprisonment; the second accused (24) faces two counts of sexual assault, oral rape, and false imprisonment; the third accused (24) faces an additional count of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and false imprisonment; and the fourth accused (23) faces three counts of sexual assault. The prosecution case alleges the complainant was driven to a location where she was raped by the four accused and a fifth man not before the courts. During the trial, the jury heard memos of gardaí interviews. The first accused stated he deleted messages and blocked the complainant on Facebook because he was scared. He admitted to touching her but claimed he did not have sex with her, stating he did not have the guts. He expressed a desire to ask the complainant to forgive him. The second accused denied having sex with the complainant, claiming she consented to kissing and that he did not complete oral sex because he found it nasty. He stated that letting the complainant into the car was his biggest regret. The matter is currently at the sentence stage of the trial proceedings, with the trial continuing.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Gang rape accused told gardai he wanted to ask complainant to forgive him. Charges or matters: raping the then 17-year-old girl at a location in the midlands on December 27, 2016; rape; sexual assault; false imprisonment; oral rape. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• December 27, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2022-03-23 Publication

Why: The first accused said he deleted this stuff because he was scared. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

Read the original CNI report