Court orders retrial for man convicted of raping sister-in-law 30 years ago over judge’s comments

A man jailed for raping his sister-in-law more than 30 years ago has had his conviction quashed over a trial judge’s comments to the jury concerning the level of detail in the case.

The 60-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the woman's identity, had denied raping the then 15-year-old at his home in the east of the country on a date between October 1983 and July 1984.