Jury sent home for weekend in Limerick sexual assault trial

A jury of six men and six women was discharged for the weekend in the Central Criminal Court trial of a 28‑year‑old man accused of forcing a teenage boy to perform oral sex in a Limerick City toilet.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault, Section 4 rape, involving a complainant who was five days short of his 17th birthday at the time of the alleged incident on 8 November 2024.

Prosecution counsel Lorcan Connolly, 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 the act occurred but claimed the teen instigated and willingly participated.

During cross‑examination the complainant, now 18, affirmed he did not protest, turn his head away, shout or try to leave the cubicle. CCTV showed the boy waiting near the toilets after the alleged assault, and he later told the court he was waiting to photograph the man, saying “I had just been raped”.

The boy was examined at a sexual assault treatment centre; a lip swab matched the accused’s semen, though no physical signs of assault were found. The defence called the allegations “pure fantasy”, urging the jury to acquit if any doubt remained, while the prosecution urged a guilty verdict.

After just over an hour and a half of deliberation on Friday, Mr Justice Seán Gillane sent the jury home for the weekend, with proceedings to resume on Monday.

Source: Limerick Post. Photo: Cara Denison / Pexels.