Waterford father convicted of raping son and cruelty

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

A Co Waterford father was convicted on nine charges of raping his son from the age of six and of cruelty at the Central Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 20 May 2016.

Both parents pleaded not guilty to all charges. The jury acquitted the father on nine sexual-assault charges. The mother was acquitted on both charges of sexual abuse, while deliberations on her remaining cruelty charge were to resume.

The parents originally faced 82 charges, but 60 were dropped towards the end of the trial after legal issues arose.

The boy gave evidence by video link from a specialised treatment unit in the UK, with an intermediary helping to explain questions. Mr Justice Robert Eagar told the jury he had established that the boy knew the difference between truth and lies.

The parents claimed the boy had behavioural problems and had made up the allegations. The father claimed social workers had brainwashed his son. Defence barrister Colman Cody told the jury there could be a kernel of truth in that argument because social workers had failed to inform gardaí that the boy had retracted his allegations at one point. The boy had described the sexual-abuse allegations as “not real”, but later said he had done so because he did not want to go through a court case.

The father was remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.