LAST UPDATE | 19 Oct 2023

THE JURY IN the trial of an Irish celebrity accused of the defilement of a 16-year-old girl over a decade ago has begun deliberations at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The man (40) has pleaded not guilty to three counts of engaging in sexual acts with a child under the age of 17 at locations in Dublin on dates between August and December 2010.

It is the State’s case that the man put his penis in the complainant’s mouth on three occasions, once in his workplace and twice in his home.

The jury had been deliberating for just over three hours on day eight of the trial when the judge advised them to cease their deliberations for the evening. The jurors will return tomorrow to continue consideration of the verdicts.

The jury asked for clarification of a section of the woman’s cross-examination and evidence from the complainant and her friend about the Deadmau5 concert. The judge read her summary of the evidence to the jury.

Finishing her charge before the jury started their deliberations earlier today, the judge noted they “only have the word” of the complainant that the alleged sexual acts took place because there is no corroborating evidence.

She told the jury they would have to assess the “truth and reliability” of the complainant’s evidence.

She said one of the effects of the passage of time is that these types of cases can come down to “one person’s word against another” as potential evidence which could assist either the prosecution or defence is not available.