A Roscommon farmer and church sacristan has been found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of orally raping a teenage family friend in 1991.
Gerard McNeill (57), Trien, Castlerea, was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Henry Abbot who also directed that his name be added to the register of sex offenders.
The jury convicted him of orally raping the now 24-year-old woman in a turf shed on a date in 1991 and also on two charges of sexually assaulting her in 1992 and 1993. Mr Justice Abbott has sent the jury of five women and seven men to a hotel for a second night, after it failed to reach a verdict on five further charges. It was day eight of the trial.
The jury has been deliberating for a total of six hours and 30 minutes and will resume its deliberations at 10 a.m. today. McNeill had pleaded not guilty to the oral rape, three counts of rape, and four of indecent and sexual assault on dates from 1989 to 1997 when the complainant was aged nine to 17 years.
He denied the charges in evidence and told his counsel he never had sexual relations with anyone during his life.