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Family abuse trial: court heard weeks of harrowing evidence of 'gratuitous sexual violence' against children

Summary

During a three‑week Central Criminal Court trial, the jury heard harrowing evidence of gratuitous sexual violence against four children in an extended Traveller family. Prosecutor Shane Costelloe warned that the evidence would be unsettling and unsavoury, and after seven hours and 33 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned guilty verdicts on 117 of 124 counts. The accused included a 66‑year‑old patriarch, his sons aged 38, 40 and 41, and a 63‑year‑old wife. The patriarch faced 24 charges, each son faced 31 or 36 charges, and the wife faced charges of assault and assistance in an alleged anally rape. All accused denied the charges. The trial highlighted the alleged abuse occurring between 1999 and 2005 across various locations in Ireland, with the family described as part of the Traveller community. The prosecution's case focused on the veracity of the complainants' accounts, while the defence argued inconsistencies and lack of detail in the evidence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Family abuse trial: court heard weeks of harrowing evidence of 'gratuitous sexual violence' against children. Charges or matters: 36 offences. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• 1999 and 2005 Incident
• 2023-05-25 Publication

Why: Closing the trial three weeks later, he said the jury must decide if the trial had been unsettling and unsavoury because four complainants had come to court and told a "pack of lies" about their childhood, or whether it was – as the prosecution maintained – "unsettling and unsavoury that four children were sexually abused in the manner in which they have alleged". Prosecution account reported by CNI

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report