Sir, - In your coverage of the trial of the "C" case rapist (The Irish Times, December 18th) you report that Mr Justice John Quirke told the accused, interalia, that not only had he violated an innocent girl but his action had also led to the death of a child through abortion.
We must respect the utterance of the honourable judge, but may I humbly suggest that the convicted man was, insofar as the death of the child was concerned, merely an accessory before the fact. The ultimate responsibility for the death of that child must be placed squarely on the Eastern Health Board. - Yours, etc., Patrick D. Smyth,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.