Rape trial juror discharged

A juror has been discharged from the Central Criminal Court trial of a Dublin man accused of raping his daughter.

The woman was discharged by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy after she agreed she spoke this morning before the court sat to a person in the company of the accused.

Mr Justice McCarthy said it had been brought to his attention that she had a conversation with someone in the company of the accused who correctly had turned away immediately.

He thanked the woman who was commenting in the jury box about her medical history for her service over the past five days hearing and told her she acted properly in admitting what she had done.

"You are not being criticised but we have to be sure that no one thinks afterwards there is a problem, even if there is no problem," Mr Justice McCarthy told her.

When she left the court, following assistance from a fellow-juror who promptly brought her personal items down from the jury-room, Mr Justice McCarthy told the remaining 11 members, that the matter had been correctly brought to his attention in their absence by defence counsel, Mr Diarmaid McGuinness SC (with Ms Anne-Marie Lawlor BL), and asked if the woman had said anything to them concerning the case.

"No, the matter has been dealt with," the jurors replied in chorus.

The 39-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to 36 charges of sexually assaulting and three charges of raping the teenager at their Dublin home on dates from May 1996 to January 2006.

The closing stages of the trial have been reached on day-six of the hearing.