Galway man cleared of rape
A 71-year-old Galway man has been cleared of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in his home in the city.
The man had denied two counts of sexually assaulting the girl on dates between July 1 and September 30, 2002 and July 1 and September 30, 2003. She was aged five and six years at the time of the alleged offences.
The jury of five women and six men at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court returned not guilty verdicts after two hours of deliberation.
It was day-two of the trial before Judge Pat McCarten who discharged the accused and thanked the jury for its work.
