A HUSBAND AND wife and their three sons have gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of various sexual offences and assaults against four members of their extended family. 

The first accused (66), the father of the three men and husband to the female accused, has pleaded not guilty to 25 charges including two charges of anal rape of his granddaughter. He also has denied a total of 21 charges against his nephew including 12 charges of anal rape, 10 charges of oral rape and one charge of assault causing him harm. 

The second accused (41), a son of the first accused, has pleaded not guilty to a total of 31 charges including two charges of anal rape and one charge of rape to the same granddaughter, his niece. Additionally, he has denied four charges of sexually assaulting his sister, 21 charges of raping her and three charges of orally raping her. 

The third accused (38), a son of the first accused and brother of the second accused, pleaded not guilty to 36 charges, including two charges of anal rape in relation to the same granddaughter, two charges of anal rape of a second male complainant, his cousin. In relation to his sister, the same second female complainant, he has denied four charges of sexual assault, 22 charges of rape and six charges of oral rape over the same dates.

The fourth accused (63) is the mother of the three men and the wife of the first accused. She has pleaded not guilty, while knowing or believing that her son, the second accused, was guilty of the offence of anal rape, to concealing the effects by giving the complainant, her granddaughter, an adult diaper and convincing her not to return to her parents.

She has also pleaded not guilty to assaulting her nephew, the first male complainant, causing him harm and assaulting her granddaughter causing her harm. 

The fifth accused (40) is also a son of the couple and the brother of the other two accused. He has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges against his sister, the second female complainant, including five charges of sexual assault, 23 charges of rape and three charges of oral rape. 

The court heard that offences allegedly occurred between September 1999 and February 2004 against these four complainants. The two male complainants are brothers and are now aged 30 and 33 years old, the first female complainant is now 30 years old and the second female complainant is now 36 years old. 

Shane Costelloe SC, prosecuting, told the jury in opening the trial that all of the complainants and all of the accused are inter-related and part of an extended Traveller family. 

He said each of the four complainants were abused in a sexual manner by some of the accused. 

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring.

Comments are closed as legal proceedings are ongoing.