Case No. 1899Rape, sexual assault, aiding and abetting · Co. Limerick · 26 Dec 2022
Second teenage boy found guilty of rape of 16-year-old girl at Limerick Racecourse
A 15-year-old boy was found guilty at Cork Central Criminal Court of the rape and sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse on 26 December 2022, becoming the second of three teenagers convicted in the case. A third boy, also 15, was found not guilty of false imprisonment but guilty of aiding and abetting.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court25 Mar
3 reports - Convicted7 Apr
4 reports - Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports98 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe two accused boys were 13 and 15 at the time of the alleged offence (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boy who was 13 at the time was hospitalised with a medical issue (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOn 18 March one juror fainted in the witness box (irishmirror.ie)
- whatDr Aoife Fanning was giving evidence about examining the complainant at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Limerick (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe jury was reduced to 11 members after the two medical incidents (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe alleged rape took place in a car at Limerick racecourse in Patrickswell on 26 December 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe two youths were aged 13 and 15 at the time of the alleged offence. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOne of the teenagers accused of rape, now 15, collapsed in the dock. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe had been absent from court for the last three days for medical reasons. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe trial was delayed by a day after one juror fainted and another experienced a cardiac event. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatDr Aoife Fanning was giving evidence of examining the complainant at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Limerick on the evening of 26 December 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe complainant met the boys for the first time on the date of the alleged offence. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe complainant agreed to get into a car in the car park. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe accused who was 13 at the time took his pants down in the car and had sex with her without her consent. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe complainant told the accused she was having her period at the time. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAfter the first boy raped her, a second boy got into the back seat of the car and did the same thing. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe jury had dropped to 11 members after one juror was discharged due to illness. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim met the boys for the first time when she went to Limerick Racecourse with her friends. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe 13-year-old took his pants down in the car and had sex with her without her consent. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim told the 13-year-old she was having her period at the time. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA second boy got into the back seat of the car and did the same thing. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe prosecution said the boys were cackling, laughing and encouraging each other as they acted as a group in the car. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatThe driver moved the car so the activity would be away from prying eyes. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim later went to a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit with her parents. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe boy was 13 at the time of the offence and is now 15 (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe complainant said she told the boy she had her period (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe second youth was 15 at the time of the alleged offence (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe third youth was 15 at the time (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe complainant met the boys for the first time at Limerick Racecourse with her friends (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused took his pants down and had sex with her without her consent (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defence said the boy believed the sex was consensual (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe complainant said she had agreed to go somewhere private to kiss one of the boys after some alcohol (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe second boy's defence said the complainant initiated the sexual contact and took off her underwear (irishtimes.com)
- whatHer parents brought her to a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (irishtimes.com)
- whatA second teenager was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of a girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse on 26 December 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boy was 15 at the time and the girl was 16. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAll three denied the charges. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe complainant met the boys for the first time when she went to Limerick racecourse with her friends. (irishtimes.com)
- whatShe agreed to get into a car and the accused who was 13 took his pants down and had sex with her without her consent. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe friend said the girl was angry, hitting things, and screaming she wanted to die and kill herself. (irishtimes.com)
- whatDean Kelly SC said the boys were cackling, laughing and encouraging each other as they acted as a group in the car. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe prosecution said the boys acted as a single unit from the moment they got into the car. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA teenager was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of a girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse on 26 December 2022 when he was fifteen and she was sixteen. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOn Monday, a fifteen-year-old boy was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of the same girl on the same occasion; he was thirteen at the time. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA third teenager was found not guilty of false imprisonment but guilty of aiding and abetting the two youths; he was fifteen at the time. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAll guilty verdicts for the three boys were by a 10-1 majority. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe complainant met the boys for the first time when she went to Limerick racecourse with her friends on the date of the offence. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe complainant told the boy she was having her period at the time. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAfter the first boy raped her, a second boy got into the back seat of the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatFriends met at one of the girl's homes that morning in Limerick to get dressed up and put on makeup, and some had drinks before getting into taxis. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatDean Kelly, Senior Counsel for the Prosecution, said the boys were cackling, laughing and encouraging each other as they acted as a group in the car. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe alleged rape took place in a car at Limerick race course in Patrickswell (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe alleged offence took place at Limerick Racecourse. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident took place in a car at Limerick Racecourse in Patrickswell. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred at Limerick Racecourse in Patrickswell (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe alleged offence occurred on 26 December 2022 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe trial began on 11 March 2025 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe alleged offence took place on 26 December 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe trial commenced on 11 March 2025. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe incident occurred on 26 December 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe jury heard an official Garda recording of a specialist interview with the girl taken shortly after the incident. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationDr Aoife Fanning examined the complainant at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Limerick on the evening of 26 December 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeTwo youths are charged with raping a 16-year-old girl (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeA third teenager, also 15 at the time, is charged with aiding and abetting and falsely imprisoning the girl (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeA third teenager, also 15 at the time, is charged with aiding and abetting the two youths and falsely imprisoning the girl. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTwo teenagers are charged with raping a 16-year-old girl. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeAll three boys entered pleas of not guilty. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is being held at the Central Criminal Court in Cork (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul McDermott is presiding over the trial (irishmirror.ie)
- courtTom Creed is Defence Counsel for one of the accused (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial was adjourned to resume on Wednesday 26 March (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial was adjourned for a second consecutive day without any evidence being heard. (irishtimes.com)
- courtTwo teenagers are on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMr Justice Paul McDermott addressed the jury regarding the illness of one of the accused. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe previous week's trial was delayed by a day after one juror fainted and another experienced a cardiac event. (irishtimes.com)
- courtDr Aoife Fanning was giving evidence of examining the complainant at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Limerick on the evening of 26 December 2022 when the juror became unwell. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial proceeded before a jury of nine women and two men after losing one juror. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe presiding judge is Mr Justice Paul McDermott. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe 13-year-old was convicted by a 10-1 majority on both counts at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial got underway on 11 March 2025. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe jury started deliberations on Friday at 11am and resumed on Monday at 10.36am, returning the verdict shortly after 5pm on Monday. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe cases were being heard together as a matter of convenience. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe boy was convicted on both counts by a 10-to-1 majority verdict (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial took place at the Central Criminal Court in Cork (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury will resume deliberations on a second youth charged with rape and sexual assault (irishtimes.com)
- courtA third youth is charged with aiding and abetting and false imprisonment (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury heard an official Garda recording of a specialist interview with the girl (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury of nine women and two men spent close to 11 hours at Cork Central Criminal Court before finding the youth guilty on both counts. (irishtimes.com)
- courtOn Monday, a boy was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting the girl on the same occasion when he was aged 13. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA third teen was found not guilty of false imprisonment but guilty of aiding and abetting the two others; he was fifteen at the time. (irishtimes.com)
- courtEach guilty verdict was reached by a 10-1 majority. (irishtimes.com)
- courtSentencings will occur at a later date. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury of nine women and two men spent close to eleven hours considering their verdict at Cork Central Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMs Justice Paul McDermott thanked the jurors and said the trial had gone on much longer than expected. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtSentencing of the three teenagers will occur at a later date. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial got underway on March 11 and lasted far longer than expected after jury members and one of the accused suffered from medical issues. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial was later delayed by three days when the 13-year-old had to go to hospital and then collapsed in court on crutches. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe accused is still under medical review in hospital. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 8 Apr2025Second teenage boy found guilty of rape of girl, 16, at Limerick racecourse
Reports the guilty verdicts for all three teenage defendants in the Limerick Racecourse rape trial, including the second boy's conviction, the third boy's mixed verdict, the complainant's evidence, prosecution and defence closing remarks, and trial delays caused by juror and defendant medical issues.
victim, 16, femaleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 13, maleaccused, 15, male - 8 Apr2025Second teen found guilty of raping girl at Limerick Racecourse
Reports the guilty verdict for the second teen, provides details of the complainant's testimony, the friend's account of the girl's state afterwards, and the prosecution's closing speech by Dean Kelly SC. Confirms all three boys denied the charges and that sentencings are to follow.
victim, 16, femaleaccused, 13, maleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 15, male - 7 Apr2025Boy found guilty of raping girl at Limerick Racecourse when he was 13
Reports the first of three boys being found guilty (10-to-1 majority) of rape and sexual assault; jury continuing deliberations on the second boy (rape and sexual assault) and third boy (aiding and abetting, false imprisonment).
victim, 16, femaleaccused, 13, maleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 15, male - 7 Apr2025Teenager found guilty of rape of girl when he was thirteen and she was sixteen
Reports the conviction of the first (13-year-old) accused by 10-1 majority verdict; jury still deliberating on the second and third accused. Provides detailed trial evidence including the complainant's testimony and defence arguments.
victim, 16, femaleconvicted, 13, maleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 15, male - 28 Mar2025One of two teens accused of rape of girl, 16, at racecourse collapses in court
Describes the collapse of one accused in the dock during the trial, the previous day's delay caused by two juror medical incidents, and the complainant's evidence that she was raped by two boys in a car at Limerick Racecourse car park.
victim, 16, femaleaccused, 13, maleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 15, male - 26 Mar2025Limerick race course rape trial adjourned as accused is treated in hospital
Trial adjourned for a second day due to the accused's hospitalisation; previously delayed by a juror fainting and another suffering a cardiac event during Dr Aoife Fanning's evidence on 18 March.
victim, 16, femaleaccused, 13, maleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 15, male - 25 Mar2025Boy accused of rape is hospitalised week after juror had cardiac event in court
Reports the further adjournment of the trial after the youngest accused (13 at the time) was hospitalised, and details the previous week's disruption when one juror fainted and another suffered a cardiac episode while Dr Aoife Fanning was in the witness box.
victim, 16, femaleaccused, 13, maleaccused, 15, maleaccused, 15, male