Man charged with 43 sexual offence counts involving four women goes on trial in Wicklow
The Wicklow PeopleA man has gone on trial accused of sexual offences against four women at two separate homes in Dublin and Wicklow between the early 1970s and 1990s.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at the first day of his trial at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday, June 4.
He entered pleas of not guilty to 41 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault.
Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin put the jury in charge, telling them about the in-camera rule and explaining that they must not discuss the case with family members or anybody else.
The case opened with counsel for the prosecution, James Kelly BL, acting on behalf of Wicklow State Solicitor Brian Robinson, addressing the jury, which was made up of eight men and four women.
The court was told that the process begins with a person making a complaint to gardaí, which leads to a Garda investigation, with a file then sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who decides whether the matter should proceed to trial.
Mr Kelly told the jury that nothing said by barristers during the trial constitutes evidence and that they must instead focus on the evidence given by witnesses.
He explained that references may be made to the book of evidence, but reminded jurors that they were not to speculate on matters not before the court.
However, Mr Kelly stated that the trial was not “a punt at it”, telling the jury that they must return a verdict based solely on the evidence presented during the trial, which is expected to take more than a week.
He explained that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution and that the accused could only be convicted if the jury was satisfied of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Indecent assault is defined by the alleged indecency of the act, which is ultimately a matter for the jury to determine, the court heard.
The prosecution further outlined that each count covers a three-month period, explaining that the complainants were young at the time of the alleged offences and were unable to provide specific dates.
He stated Judge Ní Chúlacháin would provide further legal directions to the jury regarding how they should approach the evidence and the significance, if any, of there being four complainants in the case.
It was noted that jurors should not expect to see forensic evidence such as fingerprints, DNA or CCTV footage. “That commonly happens in historic cases,” said Mr Kelly, explaining that the allegations date back several decades.
A garda was the first witness and introduced multiple exhibits into evidence, including a booklet of photographs of the locations where the alleged assaults occurred.
She explained that her role is to take photographs, with the court hearing that witnesses will be shown the booklet during testimony.
The trial is expected to continue on day two, on Friday June 5, with the first complainant expected to give evidence.