Courts / Dublin / Report

Jury views interview with alleged child victim by specialist gardai

Date
2020-01-16

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a 59‑year‑old man pleaded not guilty to two charges of sexually assaulting a four‑year‑old girl between 27 July 2016 and 11 July 2017. The jury heard that the child's mother and the accused's family had been friendly for years, and that the child had been cared for by the man's daughter and wife from age one. On 23 July 2017, a specialist garda interviewed the child, who said the accused put his hand under her shorts in the living room, rubbed her "bum" (later clarified as her vagina), and licked it several times, causing pain that persisted into the night. The child told her mother she needed a doctor; she took her to the hospital and later to a garda station. The defence argued the allegations were false, while the child maintained they occurred. The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jury views interview with alleged child victim by specialist gardai. Charges or matters: two charges of sexually assaulting the then four-year-old child on dates between July 27, 2016 and July 11, 2017. Procedural stage: trial

When: