Courts / Waterford / Report
Legal argument in trial of parents accused of sexually abusing son
Summary
In the Central Criminal Court, the trial of a man and woman accused of sexually abusing and neglecting their son has entered its fifth week. The proceedings included brief testimony from a garda specialising in child cases, who interviewed the boy in 2011 after he was removed from the family home by social workers. She reported that the eight‑year‑old was distracted and struggled to focus during the interview, and that in a second interview he tried to hide and was very aware of the camera. The boy has previously alleged that his father raped him, sexually abused him with a hot poker, and forced him to have sex with his mother over several years from about age six. He also claims the father filmed some incidents, showed them to others, held a gun to his head, and locked him in a box. The parents face 82 abuse charges from 2007 to 2011 in Waterford. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Legal argument in trial of parents accused of sexually abusing son. Charges or matters: 16 counts each of sexual exploitation and one charge each of child cruelty. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- 2007 and 2011 Incident
- 2016-05-04 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: 16 counts each of sexual exploitation and one charge each of child cruelty (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
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