Judge orders ‘not guilty’ rape verdict

The man accused of raping his sister has been found not guilty by direction of the trial judge.

Following legal submissions by the defence in the trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, Mr Justice Paul Carney told the jury he was withdrawing the rape charge from them and that they should write the words, not guilty by direction, by this particular count.

There remains for the jury to consider the 41 counts of sexual assault.