Fast-track court system vital - rape crisis centre

A "fast track" system to deal with rape cases should be introduced to prevent trials collapsing for procedural or technical reasons, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said.

The prosecution of trials was being undermined and victims' lives wrecked by the huge delays in bringing rape cases to court, said Irene Bergin, the centre's chief executive.

Ms Bergin was responding to the collapse of a rape trial in its second day of hearing yesterday at the Central Criminal Court.

Mr Justice Éamon de Valera acquitted a 25-year-old man of raping and assaulting a woman, after it emerged that gardaí had lost the victim's hand-written statements.

The man had pleaded not guilty to the attack alleged to have taken place in his Dublin city-centre home more than four years ago in September 2001.

Padraic O'Higgins SC, defending, said he could not adequately cross-examine the witness in the absence of the statements.

Hugo Hynes SC, prosecuting on behalf of the State, said gardaí at Kilmainham had the statements in October 2003, but in November 2003 they were missing.

The station had moved offices during this time, the court heard. Lengthy delays in bringing cases to trial left room for such errors to occur, said Ms Bergin.

"What happened in this case cannot have been helped by the length of time it took to be brought before the courts," she said. "The alleged incident happened four years ago and is only coming to court now. That is totally unacceptable."

The woman in this case was completely distraught, she said, and had been denied the right to tell her story after so long a wait.

"Not only has she had the trauma of going to court, where the victim is totally powerless and is considered to be just a witness to the crime, she has suffered the added trauma of not being able to tell her story."

A Garda spokeswoman said that a full report on all aspects of this rape case would be examined by senior Garda management shortly.