Supreme Court overturns Mr A decision on appeal

THE Supreme Court yesterday allowed an appeal by the State against a High Court decision, last Tuesday, to free a 41-year-old man serving a sentence for the statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl — and ordered his rearrest.

Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, in the High Court on Tuesday, had ordered the man’s release after finding that his continued detention at Arbour Hill prison — where he had served 18 months of a three-year sentence — was unlawful.

The man, who can only be called Mr A, was jailed by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on November 24, 2004. He pleaded guilty to the unlawful carnal knowledge of a 12-year-old girl on May 18, 2003.