Man appears in court charged with alleged rape in Donegal in 2002

Stephen Maguire

A man has appeared in court charged with an alleged rape in Co Donegal.

The man, who is in his 40s, appeared at Letterkenny District Court.

The offence is alleged to have taken place in February 2002 when the accused man was in his 20s.

The accused is charged under Section 48 of the Offences Against the Person Act , 1861 and Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act, 1981, as amended by Section 21 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act, 1990.

Detective Garda Michelle Kelly gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and said he made no reply to the charge.

The accused man's solicitor, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said there was no objection to bail in the case.

Garda Sergeant Jim Collins asked that the accused supply a phone number to be contactable with gardaí and that he have no contact with the alleged injured party.

Sergeant Collins said the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the accused man be sent forward by trial to the Central Criminal Court.

Judge Deirdre Gearty adjourned the case to December 11th to Buncrana District Court for the service of a book of evidence.