Jury unable to reach verdict in Limerick schoolboy sexual assault trial

A jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a 28‑year‑old man accused of forcing a schoolboy to perform a sex act on him in a Limerick City toilet.

The jury deliberated for seven and a half hours at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick before informing Mr Justice Sean Gillane that they could not agree on a decision. The judge recorded that the jurors “disagreed” and deemed it unfair to continue the deliberations.

The accused pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault, Section 4 rape, involving a complainant who was almost 17 at the time of the alleged incident on 8 November 2024. The prosecution, led by senior counsel Lorcan Connolly, barrister Lily Buckley and state solicitor Orla Farrell, argued the man non‑consensually penetrated the boy’s mouth.

Defence senior counsel Mark Nicholas, instructed by Kenny Keirns of Kiely McCarthy Solicitors, accepted that oral sex occurred but claimed the teen instigated and willingly participated. Under cross‑examination the complainant, now 18, said he did not protest, turn away or shout during the encounter and had been using the Grindr app five days earlier.

CCTV footage showed the boy waiting near the toilets after the alleged assault, and a swab from his lips later matched the accused’s semen. No physical injuries were recorded at the sexual assault treatment centre.

The accused was remanded on continuing bail pending a retrial.

Source: Limerick Post. Photo: Kristopher Hines / Pexels.