The jury in the trial of six men accused of familial sexual abuse has returned its eighth guilty verdict in the long-running case.
The jury resumed deliberations on Tuesday for the 13th day after pausing for a break on May 28th to allow one of their number to go on a pre-booked holiday.
The six men on trial, aged between 33 and 55, face a combined total of 20 charges - 16 of which pertain to the main complainant, who is deaf. They are her three uncles and her three younger brothers.
All of the men have denied any wrongdoing and have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The abuse is alleged to have occurred over a 19-year period between 1995 and 2014. None of the parties in the trial, which started last October, can be named for legal reasons.
One of the brothers, referred to as Accused C, is also accused of sexually abusing two other sisters.
It was in relation to one of these allegations that the jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday.
They found the 35-year-old man guilty by a majority verdict of one count of anally raping his younger sister (Complainant 3) in the family home on a date between September 2010 and September 2014. She was a child at the time.
The jury will resume its deliberations on Wednesday.
Prior to this, the jury had returned verdicts only in relation to the main complainant, who is deaf and has been described in court as vulnerable.
The jury found one of her uncles guilty of all four charges against him. This 48-year-old man (Accused B) has been convicted of three counts of rape and one count of anal rape of the complainant on dates between 2006 and 2014.
The jury has further found one of her younger brothers, Accused E (33), guilty of both counts against him. He has been convicted of two counts of anally raping her between 2007 and 2009.
Another younger brother, Accused F (also 33) has been found guilty of one count of raping his sister between 2007 and 2009.
Deadlock
On Tuesday, the jury told Ms Justice Biggs that it is “absolutely deadlocked” in relation to the remaining count of rape against this accused brother.
They said they are also deadlocked in their deliberations on the rape counts pertaining to the main complainant's remaining two uncles, Accused A and Accused G.
Accused A – the woman's 55-year-old uncle - is accused of a single count of raping her on a date between December 2009 and April 2011.
Accused G (46) is accused of a single count of raping her when she was a child on a date between 1995 and 1996.
Ms Justice Biggs asked the jury to continue in its deliberations in relation to the 10 remaining counts against Accused C.
Accused C is accused of six counts against the main complainant. These comprise three of rape, two counts of anal rape and one count of sexual assault, all allegedly committed between 2003 and 2010.
Accused C is further charged with the sexual abuse of a third sister, Complainant 2. He has denied one count of sexually assaulting her on a date between 2005 and 2006 when she was a child. He has further denied two counts of raping her on dates between 2015 and 2018.
The trial continues.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
