A man convicted of indecently assaulting one of his daughters in the early 1980s has lost a fresh bid to quash his conviction.
The man was first convicted in July 2006 and his conviction was quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) as a result of concerns arising in relation to the length of time and circumstances in which the jury reached its verdict.
A retrial was ordered and the man was again convicted and sentenced to six years with three suspended.
He unsuccessfully appealed that conviction on grounds relating to the admissibility of evidence and the refusal of the trial judge to discharge the jury at the conclusion of the judge’s charge.
In 2014, he sought to appeal the decision of the CCA to the Supreme Court, arguing the case raised a point of law of exceptional public importance. The DPP opposed the application.
Yesterday, Mr Justice William McKechnie, on behalf of the three-judge CCA, dismissed his application for leave to appeal.
Mr Justice McKechnie said that in order to have a fresh appeal to the Supreme Court the point of law involved must be of public importance.