Man acquitted in Dublin rape case
The jury found the 29 year-old accused not guilty of anally raping the then 17 year-old girl and of sexually assaulting her on June 22, 2007 in the west Dublin suburb.
The jury of ten men and two women returned the not guilty verdicts on day-six of the trial and after spending one night in a hotel.
Mr Justice Paul Butler discharged the accused who had denied the charges and thanked the jury for its work.
The jury heard that the accused was the brother of the complainant's girlfriend in whose house a party was organised at the end of their Leaving Certificate examinations.
The complainant alleged that when she went to bed in her friend's bedroom, the accused entered in the early hours of the morning and had anal sex with her without her consent. She told gardai she had anal sex consensually previously with another person.
Following his arrest the man told gardai he went into his sister's bedroom looking for his mobile phone as he had been looking for CDs in that room earlier in the day.
He said that the complainant was in the bed and said hello to him. He got into the bed and began to "fool around" with her and "touch her up". He had earlier consumed around ten beers and some Baileys.
When asked by gardaí if he had been invited into the bed he said "no". Asked why he got into the bed he replied: "I don't know it was stupid really."
He told gardaí she did not say anything to him but "seemed to be enjoying it" and had placed her hand on his penis. He said he might have penetrated her but stopped because his parents were sleeping in the next room and he didn't feel right doing it.
Asked if it was unusual for a 28 year-old man to get into bed with a 17 year-old girl, he said: "It was stupid. I wouldn't normally do that."
