Teenager acquitted of raping schoolmate in Donegal

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

A teenager was acquitted of rape and oral rape at the Central Criminal Court, reported on 19 July 2018. The alleged offences were said to have occurred behind a building in Co Donegal after the teenager and a 16-year-old schoolmate met at a takeaway during St Patrick’s night celebrations. The jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on the 12th day of the trial, after deliberating for just under two hours.

The trial included evidence about messages sent by the complainant seeking help, CCTV showing both teenagers returning hand in hand, and differing accounts of what happened. The teenager denied that the complainant had indicated she did not want sexual activity, while the prosecution argued that injuries supported her account.