Man on trial accused of raping and sexually assaulting younger sister

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

A man went on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of the serial rape and sexual assault of his younger sister. The proceedings were reported on 19 April 2018.

He pleaded not guilty to 56 counts of rape and 15 counts of sexual assault. The alleged offences occurred in County Waterford between December 1983 and June 1988. The man cannot be named for legal reasons.

The abuse was alleged to have begun when the complainant was four and continued until she was 10 or 12. She said her brother abused her in the family home and at other nearby locations.

Opening the case, prosecuting counsel Caroline Biggs SC told the jury that two alleged rapes took place on the girl's First Holy Communion in 1984 and the following day.

The woman told the court that her brother threatened to shoot their mother if she told anyone about the alleged abuse. The man was arrested in August 2015 following his sister's allegations and denied any improper sexual activity with her.

The trial was due to continue before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury.