A man has been found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of raping a teenage girl he claimed in evidence to have married in Zambia in 2002.
Kasenge Bangu (46), a Congolese native, with an address at St Anthony's Street, Rialto, Dublin, was convicted on four charges of raping the then 15-year-old victim in Wexford on dates from November 20th to December 7th, 2002. One verdict was by 10-2 majority and the rest unanimously.
The jury found him not guilty on one charge of raping her at an unknown address in Dublin and also on two counts of anally raping a then 13-year-old girl between the same dates. One of these acquittals was by direction of the court.
The elder girl became pregnant as a result of Bangu raping her and was assisted by the then South Eastern Health Board to have an abortion in England.
A Scottish scientist gave evidence in the trial that DNA analysis on foetal matter from the abortion and on hair and blood samples from Bangu showed it was "two million times more likely" he was the father than if they were unrelated to each other.
It was day-nine of the trial and the jury returned its verdicts following just under five hours deliberation, having spent Friday night in a hotel.
Mr Justice Barry White remanded Bangu in custody for mention of the case today to set a sentence date. He also directed that Bangu be registered as a sex offender.
Mr Justice White thanked the jury of nine men and three women for its care and attention to the case and said he believed the Oireachtas did not fully appreciate the inconvenience jury service caused citizens.
Bangu had pleaded not guilty to all the offences, telling his defence counsel, Tom O'Connell SC (with Mr Shane Costello BL), that he was arrested on November 20th, 2002, in Zambia after allegations of sexual assault and child trafficking to Europe were made against him, and that he was in custody there to December 16th, 2002.
He said he married the older girl in Zambia on November 14th, 2002, in a traditional arranged marriage ceremony after he paid a dowry of $500 (€375).