Sex offender withdraws statutory rape challenge

Lawyers for a convicted sex offender today withdrew a High Court application to try to secure his release after the striking out of statutory rape legislation.

Joseph Sherwood, from Grange, Edenderry, Co Offaly, was jailed in February after admitting the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl in September 2004.

The 19-year-old was sentenced to 11 months’ hard labour in St Patrick’s Institution in Dublin.

He is due for release in October.

Sherwood had attempted to secure his release from jail last month after the Supreme Court ruled that the 1935 law on statutory rape was inconsistent with the Constitution.

But in a later ruling the court found those already convicted on the law were not entitled to be set free.

The ruling stated that convicted child rapists should not be allowed to piggyback on the decision to strike out the law.

No objection was made to the withdrawal of the application.