Judge notes 'particularly unacceptable' number of reminders to Garda as delayed abuse case gets go-ahead

A 20-year-old charged with sexually assaulting his next door neighbour five-and-a-half years ago has failed to halt his pending prosecution on grounds of “unacceptable” delay.

The accused, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has been charged with sexually assaulting a six-year-old in the east of the country, in late 2014 when he himself was a minor.