Man convicted of rape appeals conviction at Court of Appeal

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

A man convicted of rape appealed his conviction at the Court of Appeal on 17 December 2020, with judgment reserved. He cannot be named because identifying him could reveal the victim’s identity.

The jury had convicted him of six rapes, three sexual assaults, three oral rapes and attempted oral rape, while acquitting him on 16 other counts. His lawyers argued that majority verdicts were allowed before jurors had fully considered all counts, and that offence dates were improperly changed after prosecution closing submissions.

The prosecution disputed that interpretation, saying the jury had not reached final conclusions and should not be questioned during deliberations.