Conviction for repeated abuse of young boy upheld

A man in his fifties has failed in his appeal against conviction for the historic sexual abuse of his younger cousin at a property in County Donegal during the 1980s. The Court of Appeal dismissed the challenge on Friday, upholding a jury's verdict on all 24 counts of indecent assault following a trial in July 2019. The appellant had argued the trial judge erred in declining to sever the indictment for separate proceedings, failed to discharge the jury over a cross-examination matter, and provided inadequate warning regarding uncorroborated evidence. Delivering judgment, the Court of Appeal President found no grounds to doubt the fairness or safety of the trial. The court upheld the original sentencing of ten years imposed by the trial judge, comprising four years for offences committed when the appellant was a minor and six years for those committed subsequently, to run consecutively.