The trial of a 21-year-old north Dublin man accused of raping a teenage neighbour has been aborted by Mr Justice Lavan at the Central Criminal Court. The judge discharged the jury on the seventh day of the trial, following substantial legal argument in its absence.
"As a result of certain matters that have arisen, this case cannot go on any further," he told the jury before excusing them from jury duty for seven years. The accused had pleaded not guilty to five charges of raping the girl on March 7th, 1999. A date for retrial will be set today.