An application was made to the High Court yesterday for an order to prevent the trial of a clergyman on 21 charges of indecent assault and indecent conduct. The application, opposed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, was made on the basis that the accused would not be able to obtain a fair trial on grounds of delay and lapse of time since the dates of the alleged offences.
The clergyman denies the offences which allegedly took place in the 1970s and early 1980s. In court yesterday it was claimed there would be a risk of serious injustice given the lapse of time and state of the man's health and that a trial at this stage would be unfair and oppressive and would violate his right to fair procedures. The hearing, before Mr Justice Geoghegan, continues tomorrow.