Trial for sex assault of three sisters halted

A MAN has secured a High Court order halting his trial on charges of indecent assault of three of his sisters when they were children. The man, now in his 50s, was alleged to have begun assaulting the girls between 1965 and 1973.

The court heard the alleged abuse began when he was aged just 11. The women – all younger sisters – said they were first abused at the ages of seven, eight and 11.

All three women made formal complaints to gardaí in 2007 and the man, who denies all the allegations, was later charged.

The man’s father, now in his late 70s, and another brother have separately been charged with indecent assault offences against the three sisters.

Mr Justice John McMenamin said the man and his sisters were among nine siblings who grew up in a family whose background circumstances were “apparently deeply dysfunctional”.

The judge upheld arguments that there was serious risk of an unfair trial arising from unavailability of evidence due to delay in making the complaints and the lapse of time.

One of the sisters, who found herself under financial pressure, admitted asking the man to clear her debts; this exceptional circumstance, the judge found, was itself sufficient to prohibit her brother’s trial in regard to her.

The man said he refused in 2004 to pay those debts any further. He said she then threatened to make allegations of a sexual nature against him and have them publicised. He also claimed her son threatened to kill him after his refusal.