Man’s conviction for defiling child overturned by Court of Appeal

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

A Court of Appeal judgment overturned a man’s conviction for defilement of a child and directed a retrial. The man had been convicted by majority verdict on July 15th, 2020, while he was found not guilty by unanimous verdict of sexual assault.

In November 2025, Judge Eoin Garavan sentenced him at Castlebar Courthouse to two years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended. The custodial element was deferred, and he was later granted bail pending appeal.

Judge Nuala Butler said the trial judge’s jury direction improperly linked the man’s two alternative defences: that sexual intercourse had not occurred and that he believed the complainant was over 18. The appeal was allowed, and the man was remanded on continuing bail pending the matter being returned to the Western Circuit in early October. The proceedings were reported on 17 July 2026.