More time for State to prepare case against teen accused of raping boy
A judge has granted the State additional time to complete a book of evidence in the case of a teenager awaiting trial for raping a six-year-old boy.
The 15-year-old boy had been charged in October at the Dublin Children's Court with two counts of rape which allegedly occurred on a date earlier this year. The defendant, who was aged 14 at the time, is related to the complainant, the court had also heard.
The DPP has issued a direction that the boy, who is in care, is to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court on both charges but he must first be served with a book of evidence.
He appeared again at the Children's Court today, but judge Clare Leonard heard that the book of evidence was not yet ready.
State solicitor Deirdre Manninger explained that because “it is a complicated case”, another six-week period was required.
Judge Leonard agreed to grant the State more time to prepare the book of evidence but ordered that “it needs to be here in six weeks”.
The teenager, who was accompanied to his case by a court-appointed guardian ad litem and his social worker, was remanded on continuing bail. He has given no indication of how he intends to plead to the charges.
When initially charged in October, Detective Garda Padraig Jennings had told Judge Leonard that the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, “made no reply” to caution.
Det-Gda Jennings had also said then that “this is a family matter” when he asked for bail conditions to be imposed.
The bail terms, which are still in force, say the teenager must have “no contact directly or indirectly” with the complainant and stay away from the location where the incidents allegedly occurred.
Due the nature of the allegations, the defence cannot plead for the case to be kept in the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
