A WEXFORD man has been convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a boy when the child was aged between five and 10- years-old.
The 61-year-old man had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 27 counts of sexual assault, anal rape and oral rape of the boy between April 1996 and June 2001.
The jury of eight women and four men took almost 12 hours and an overnight stay in a hotel to bring in a majority guilty verdict on 24 charges, including sexual assault and both anal and oral rape. The man was acquitted on two charges of anal rape and one of oral rape. It was day nine of the trial.
Mr Justice Roderick Murphy thanked the jury members for their service and excused them from duty for 15 years.
He remanded the man on bail and adjourned sentencing to next month after Bernard Condon, prosecuting, requested an early date because the now 17-year-old victim is due to sit his Leaving Certificate next June.
Earlier, the victim told prosecuting counsel, Deirdre Murphy SC, that the accused would threaten to kill him and his mother if he told anybody about the abuse.
He said that he was taken out to a shed by the accused who told him “you remind me of your mother” before removing the boy’s clothes and touching his genitals. He then gave him back his clothes and said, “I’m finished with you” before threatening him.
The teenager said sexual assaults took place on several other occasions around the accused’s house and each time he threatened to kill him.