A YOUTH who sexually assaulted his two sisters' best friend in 1994, when she was 12 and he was 13, has been released from detention and placed under probation supervision.
The 15 year old from Co Limerick was convicted earlier this month by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of committing the offence on May 7th, 1994, in his parents' bedroom. After 10 hours, the jury failed to agree on a second charge of raping the girl on the same date.
Mr Justice Budd had suggested he would impose a three year sentence of detention on the youth, and remanded him to a Dublin assessment centre for 13 days. He said he would suspend the sentence if the assessment reports were satisfactory.
Yesterday, Mr Anthony Kennedy SC said that in law the detention of young offenders does not count as imprisonment and can not be suspended.
Mr Justice Budd recalled "the singular and striking incidence of Christian forgiveness" shown by the victim and her parents, who did not wish the boy to be taken from his family. He ordered that no sentence of detention should remain on the boy's record.
The teenager entered into a bond to keep the peace for three years and to be of good behaviour. He had pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault during the four day trial.