Deliberations begin in trial of sports coach accused of raping young girl

The jury in the trial of a sports coach accused of raping and sexually abusing a teenage girl 35 years ago has begun deliberations at the Central Criminal Court.

The 78-year-old man, whose name cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, had pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and 15 counts of indecent touching at a school between October 1989 and October 1990. The plaintiff was between 13 and 14 years old at the time.

During the trial, the jury was instructed by the trial judge to acquit the man of four of these charges following legal reasoning, so the jury had one offence of rape and 11 counts of sexual assault to consider. The date of the offences was also changed to October 1989 to June 1990. The trial will continue before Judge Melanie Greally and the jury is expected to return tomorrow (Thursday) to continue the verdict.