Ireland Case No. 7492Rape and sexual abuse
Four men convicted in State's longest criminal trial over abuse of deaf relative
A deaf woman in her 30s alleged she was sexually abused from childhood by her three uncles and four brothers, and two younger sisters claimed one brother abused them. She first disclosed the alleged abuse in 2017, and the case became the longest-running criminal trial in the history of the State, lasting nearly eight months in Ireland. During the trial the DPP withdrew 83 of the 103 charges. On 12 June 2026, after about 51 hours of deliberation, four of the accused men were convicted, the jury could not reach a verdict on two uncles, and no sentence has been reported yet.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted12 Jun
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A deaf woman in her 30s alleged she was sexually abused from childhood by her three uncles and four brothers.
- Two of her younger sisters claimed they were abused by one of the brothers, aged 35.
- The woman had a borderline learning disability, the reading level of a young child, and needed a Sign Language interpreter, a deaf relay interpreter and an intermediary.
- The 49-year-old uncle initially denied having sex with the woman, then admitted having sex with her five times over a 10-month period.
- When
- The woman first disclosed the alleged abuse in 2017 after attending a sexual health promotion course.
- Investigation
- Gardaí first interviewed the woman in 2017 and reinterviewed her extensively in 2021 with a team of interpreters.
- Gardaí found pornographic material on the phone of the 35-year-old brother, which he had thrown into a field.
- Charges
- The seven men denied a combined total of 103 charges, 98 of which related to the main complainant.
- In court
- The woman was questioned and cross-examined over video-link for 3½ months.
- The DPP withdrew 83 charges towards the end of the nearly eight-month trial, and all charges against a 34-year-old brother were withdrawn.
- The jury deliberated for almost 51 hours and could not reach a verdict on the 55-year-old uncle and the 46-year-old uncle.
- Sentence
- The 49-year-old uncle was found guilty of three counts of rape and one count of anal rape between 2006 and 2014.
- One 33-year-old brother was found guilty of two counts of anal rape, and the other 33-year-old brother was found guilty of one count of rape, with the jury disagreeing on a second count.
- The 35-year-old brother was found guilty on all 10 counts against the three sisters.
- Other details
- The trial was the longest-running criminal trial in the history of the State.
20 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA deaf woman in her 30s alleged she was sexually abused from childhood by her three uncles and four brothers (irishtimes.com)
- whatTwo younger sisters claimed they were abused by one of the brothers (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman was questioned and cross-examined over video-link for 3½ months (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman had a borderline learning disability with the reading level of a young child (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman required an Irish Sign Language interpreter, a deaf relay interpreter, and an intermediary (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe 49-year-old uncle initially denied having sex with the woman before admitting to having sex with her five times over a 10-month period (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe woman first disclosed the alleged abuse in 2017 after attending a sexual health promotion course (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe woman was first interviewed by gardaí in 2017 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe woman was reinterviewed extensively in 2021 with a team of interpreters (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí found pornographic material on the 35-year-old brother's phone which he had thrown into a field (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe men denied a combined total of 103 charges, 98 of which pertained to the main complainant (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe DPP withdrew 83 charges towards the end of the nearly eight-month trial (irishtimes.com)
- courtOne brother aged 34 had all charges against him withdrawn (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury was unable to reach a verdict on the 55-year-old uncle and the 46-year-old uncle (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury deliberated for almost 51 hours before returning its final verdict (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe 49-year-old uncle was found guilty of three counts of rape and one count of anal rape between 2006 and 2014 (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceOne 33-year-old brother was found guilty of two counts of anal rape (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe other 33-year-old brother was found guilty of one count of rape, with the jury disagreeing on the second count (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe 35-year-old brother was found guilty on all 10 counts against the three sisters (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe trial was the longest-running criminal trial in the history of the State (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 12 Jun2026Deaf woman alleging rape was questioned over 3½ months in State’s longest criminal trial
Verdict in Ireland's longest-running criminal trial; four of six remaining defendants convicted after 51 hours of deliberation; the deaf complainant was cross-examined over video-link for 3½ months with multiple interpreters.
victim, 30s, femalevictim, femalevictim, femaleconvicted, 49, maleconvicted, 33, maleconvicted, 33, maleconvicted, 35, maleaccused, 55, maleaccused, 46, maleaccused, 34, male