A MAN has been acquitted at the Central Criminal Court of 10 counts of raping and sexually abusing his two daughters and raping his younger brother-in-law over an eight-year period.
The accused (44), from Co Westmeath, had pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial to 35 charges of sexual assault, oral rape, anal rape and rape of his two daughters and younger brother-in-law between December 1st, 1991, and June 1999 when the children were aged between five and 15 years.
The jury of seven men and five women returned a verdict of not guilty on day 14 of the trial of one count of rape of his younger brother-in-law, three counts of rape of his eldest daughter and two counts of rape and four counts of sexually assaulting his younger daughter.
The jury, which had deliberated for more than 10 hours, failed to reach a verdict on 18 outstanding charges against the man of sexually abusing his two daughters during the same period.
Mr Justice Daniel Herbert had earlier directed the jury that the accused should be found not guilty by direction of the trial judge on two charges of anal rape of the boy, one charge each of rape and oral rape of one daughter, and three counts of sexual assault of the same daughter.
Mr Justice Herbert thanked the jury, which had been deliberating its verdict for three days, for its attention.
The accused man’s now 22- year-old daughter told Alexander Owens SC, prosecuting, that her father had raped and sexually abused her from the time she was five years old.
She recalled one occasion when she saw her father coming in drunk and undoing his belt. She said she picked up her little sister and put her arms around her to protect her.
She said her father pulled her sister from her, laid two cushions on the floor and raped the three-year-old.
During the trial, the man told Conor Devally SC, defending: “I never interfered with any of my daughters or any child in my life.”
He agreed with Mr Owens that he and his former wife had had a violent relationship but he denied that his children lived in fear of him or that he beat them.
“I admit I hit them slaps but I never hit my children with a belt or a poker.”