Doctor giving evidence in rape trial leaves the stand to treat juror who fainted in court

A DOCTOR WHO was giving evidence in a rape trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork today had to leave the stand to give medical attention to a juror who fainted before then going on to treat a second juror who had a separate medical episode. 

Dr Aoife Fanning was in the courthouse at Anglesea Street in the city to give evidence in the trial of two boys who are charged with raping a 16-year-old girl in a car at Limerick racecourse in Patrickswell on 26 December 2022.

The boys were 13 and 15 at the time of the alleged offence. 

A third teenager is charged with aiding and abetting the two youths and falsely imprisoning the girl.

Dr Fanning was in the witness box giving evidence of examining the complainant at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) in Limerick on the evening of 26 December 2022 when a juror became visibly unwell.

The court was cleared shortly before noon and Dr Fanning assessed and treated the patient. It was established that the juror had fainted. The case was adjourned until 2:15 pm to see if the juror would be physically able to resume his duties.

However, when Mr Justice Paul McDermott entered courtroom number three this afternoon the was informed that another juror had experienced an emergency cardiac episode over lunchtime. The second juror was also initially assessed at the scene by Dr Fanning.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow morning. It is understood that Dr Fanning, who had travelled to Cork to give evidence, will now testify via video link. 

Tom Creed, Defence Counsel for one of the accused men, took to quoting the character of Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet when news emerged of the second medical episode. Addressing Mr Justice McDermott he said  : “When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.”

Meanwhile, Dr Fanning had told the jury of nine women and three men that the complainant in the case had presented at SATU in University Hospital Limerick at 11pm on 26 December 2022. She said that the complainant was “coherent — quiet, but co-operative”. 

Dr Fanning carried out an examination of the16-year-old girl. She noted that there were four bruises on her body and scratches on the back of her legs. The three defendants deny all the charges against them.