Teenage boy (15) to stand trial accused of sexual abuse and 19 counts of rape

Tom Tuite

A teenage boy is to stand trial accused of sexual abuse, including 19 counts of rape of another child, in Dublin for over three years.

The offences are alleged to have commenced when the defendant was 10 years old.

The boy, now 15, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Dublin Children's Court charged with 27 offences committed between 2020 and 2023 and has been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court.

They included a single charge under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 for inviting or inducing another boy, under the age of 15, to take part in sexual touching.

He also faces seven charges of sexually assaulting the same boy and 19 charges of raping him on different dates.

The court set bail conditions, including that he not contact the other boy or his family.

A section 75 Children Act preliminary ruling on his trial venue in relation to the non-rape alleged offences took place to consider whether those charges should be dealt with separately in the juvenile court.

The presiding judge can take into account the defendant's age and level of maturity.

After this jurisdiction hearing, Judge Paul Kelly ruled that all the charges should be heard together.

A book of evidence was served on the teenager, and Judge Kelly granted a return for trial order, sending the teenager forward to the Central Criminal Court for trial, where the case will be listed later.

No plea has been entered.

The teenager was granted legal aid, including senior counsel representation, and must notify prosecutors if he intends to use an alibi in his defence.

Gardaí have also been ordered to provide copies of interview videos to the defence.

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.