A jury has failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a 24-year-old man charged with two counts of raping a then 13-year-old girl in a Co Cork town over three years ago.
The jury foreman told Mr Justice Paul Carney that he was satisfied that they would not be able to reach a verdict after deliberating for three hours and 22 minutes.
The decision came over ten minutes after Mr Justice Carney had told the jury of eight men and four women that he would accept a 11-1 or 10-2 majority verdict.
The accused, who can’t be named for legal reasons, denied charges of forcing the girl to have sexual intercourse with him and of orally raping in May 2008.
Mr Justice Paul Carney thanked the jurors for the service and said it had been an unpleasant case for everyone and he discharged them from jury service for life.
He told the accused that he could stand down and he remanded him on continuing bail to the next list for the fixing of trials at the Central Criminal Court.
