Defendant: Assault claims part of custody battle

A stepdad accused of sexual assault said his ex-partner and others in her family had put his stepdaughter up to making the allegations in order to help her mother in a custody battle over other children.

A jury deliberated for over an hour yesterday and were then sent home Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin who told them to return to Cork Circuit Criminal Court today to resume their deliberations.

The judge directed them to find the accused not guilty by his direction on one charge of sexual assault and to consider the remaining 14 counts.