Four men convicted in deaf woman’s abuse case; sentence hearing remains pending

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Four of the woman’s relatives were convicted of sexually abusing her after a 131-day Central Criminal Court trial, the longest criminal trial in State history. The jury found one uncle and three younger half-brothers guilty of a combined 13 counts. It could not agree verdicts on two other uncles’ rape charges; the Director of Public Prosecutions later withdrew those charges. Charges against another brother had been withdrawn during the trial.

One convicted brother, Accused C, was absent after breaking his bail conditions, so his sentence hearing could not proceed. The court heard the woman’s abuse occurred between 2003 and 2014. Pleas in mitigation for the three men present were scheduled for October 19; sentencing remained pending in the latest report.