Man (70s) due to stand trial on alleged historical sexual offences

Niamh O'Donoghue

A trial date has been set for a man charged with alleged historical sexual offences.

The man is accused of 79 offences, 78 counts of indecently assaulting four young girls aged between eight and 15 at the time, and one count of attempting to rape one of the children.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 1971 and 1981 at various locations in south Dublin; 42 of the charges relate to one of the girls and 34 to another.

Two indecent assault charges relate to another of the girls, while one charge relates to the fourth alleged victim.

The man in his 70s, who was arrested in July on foot of the charges, did not appear in court for the short hearing.

On Wednesday, defence counsel Karl Monahan BL told the Central Criminal Court he was seeking a trial date.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott set a trial date for June 15th, 2026, and directed disclosure be completed before the case is mentioned before the court next January.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.