Jury issue sparks rape trial collapse

The Central Criminal Court trial of a Roscommon man accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl twenty years ago has collapsed due to an issue with the jury.

The Central Criminal Court trial of a Roscommon man accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl 20 years ago has collapsed due to an issue with the jury.

The 61-year-old man, who can not be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of indecent assault against a female in the county on dates between January 1978 and March 1981.

Mr Justice Barry White told the jury of four women and eight men he had no option in the circumstances but to discharge them and listed the case for mention later this month when a new trial date may be set.