Man found guilty of indecent assaults on girl in 1970s

David Raleigh

A jury found a man guilty on Friday of 10 separate counts of the indecent assault of a young girl 50 years ago.

The man, now aged 75, was acquitted by the jury of a single charge of raping the girl.

The jury delivered unanimous verdicts on all 11 charges following the man’s trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges.

The trial had heard that the victim had made a formal complaint to gardaí in 2021, alleging she was raped and sexually assaulted by the man, from when she was aged 13 to 16 years.

The man was aged in his early 20s when he started carrying out the sex attacks on the victim, it was heard.

The victim and the defendant were both supported throughout the trial by members of their families.

In her direct evidence last Thursday, the victim said she had not discussed the alleged abuse with any family members until 2021.

The woman, who is now in her 60s, told the court the defendant left her terrified after sexually assaulting her at two separate locations in Limerick.

The sex assaults took place in the 1970s, the court heard.

The woman alleged she was vaginally raped once by the accused when she was 16, between 1975 and 1976. The jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict in respect of the rape charge.

The woman said she had also been “groped” by the defendant, that he touched her breasts inside and outside her clothing, and that he had “dry humped” her on a number of occasions.

The victim also gave evidence that the defendant had put his hands down her trousers and rubbed her vagina with his finger.

Legally, the defendant cannot be named. However, reporting restrictions in the case may be lifted by the court at his sentencing hearing.

Ms Justice Creedon remanded the defendant on continuing bail to appear before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin for sentence on April 20th.

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.