Teen found not guilty of raping schoolmate

A teenager from Donegal has been found not guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a schoolmate following an incident in the early hours of March 18, 2016, in a county town. The accused, who was 16 at the time, had denied one count of rape and one of oral rape. The Central Criminal Court jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict after approximately two hours of deliberation on the twelfth day of trial. The complainant, then also aged 16, maintained she had not consented to sexual activity that occurred behind a building following St Patrick's night celebrations. The defence argued inconsistencies in her account and emphasised the absence of verbal or physical indication of non-consent. The prosecution contended that injuries sustained were inconsistent with willing participation. Justice Deirdre Murphy directed the jury to consider whether trauma affects memory consistency. The accused left the courtroom immediately following the acquittal.