A 50-year-old man pleaded not guilty yesterday to numerous charges of raping, assaulting and ill-treating four of his daughters over an 18-year period.
The accused cannot be named or identified in any way for legal reasons. He replied “not guilty” to each of the 271 charges as they were read to him at the Central Criminal Court in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
The alleged offences took place on dates unknown between 1991 and 2009, Paul Burns, SC (prosecuting), told Mr Justice Paul Carney.
The alleged victims are children of the accused, Mr Burns said. A jury was sworn in and evidence in the case is to begin before a jury at 11am today. The hearing is expected to last two weeks.