Trial continues of man accused of raping sister

A detective garda has revealed she couldn’t trace social workers, counsellors or doctors who dealt with a woman alleging her brother raped her 40 years ago.

Detective Garda Joanne Houlihan agreed with Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, that she and colleagues couldn’t locate a social worker who had made notes of dealings with the now 48-year-old woman after she was taken into care.

Det Gda Houlihan agreed she couldn’t identify a doctor mentioned in these notes as having seen the complainant on foot of her rape allegations.

The detective garda agreed when Mr Hartnett suggested that one care worker had been dead since 1995 and another potential witness, a counsellor, had also never been located despite garda efforts.

The man (aged 55), who can not be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to seven counts of raping his younger sister between May 1970 and September 1972.

Earlier, the complainant told Ms Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that her brother would rape her in the bathroom twice a week after school when she was aged between eight and 11 years.

The trial continues before Mr Justice John Edwards and a jury of seven women and five men.