Garda charged with rape, child cruelty and serious assault

By Chris McNulty

A serving member of An Garda Síochána has been charged with rape and child cruelty in Co Donegal.

The man appeared before Letterkenny District Court on Thursday morning.

He is accused of two counts of raping a female, offences that are alleged to have occurred in 2021 at an address in Co Donegal.

The charges are contrary to 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.

The man is also charged with three counts of child cruelty between 2015 and 2024, also at a location in Co Donegal.

He is charged with being a person having custody, charge, and the care of a child, did wilfully: assault, ill-treat, and neglect the said child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering/injury to the child’s health or seriously to affect her well-being.

The charges are contrary to section 246(1) and (2) of the Children Act, 2001.

The man is also charged that, on a date unknown between April 2021 and April 2022, at an address in Co Donegal, he did assault a female, causing her harm. The charge is contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

Sergeant Maurice Doyle told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that the matter be sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court.

The accused man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons due to the nature of the alleged offences, was represented by solicitor Mr Robert Ryan.

Judge Emile Daly adjourned the matter to March 3rd, 2026, for the service of a book of evidence.

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. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.