Jury due to begin deliberations in Donegal teenager’s rape trial

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

A jury was due to begin deliberations on 19 July 2018 in the Central Criminal Court trial of a Donegal teenager accused of raping a schoolmate. The proceedings were reported on 19 July 2018.

The accused, then aged 19, denied one count of rape and one count of oral rape of a girl who was 16 at the time. The alleged offences took place behind a building in a Co Donegal town in the early hours of 18 March 2016.

Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy concluded her charge to the jury on 18 July 2018. She reminded jurors that they had to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt before deciding on a verdict. She said it was for them to decide whether there were inconsistencies in the complainant’s evidence and what significance to attach to them.

In an earlier closing speech, Patrick McGrath SC, prosecuting, said the girl’s injuries were inconsistent with a willing sexual encounter and consistent with the forced encounter described by the complainant. He said she had been consistent throughout.

Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, said there were significant gaps in the complainant’s memory. He referred to CCTV footage of the teenagers walking together after the alleged incident and challenged her credibility. The trial heard that a garda’s report to the Director of Public Prosecutions said the complainant did not appear to be “overtly upset” in the footage. The jury comprised seven men and four women.