The jury in the trial of a Clare man accused of sexually abusing his partner’s young daughter is expected to begin considering their verdict today.
The 40 year old denies a total of 18 charges against the girl which allegedly started when she was eight and continued over a six and a half year period.
Justice John Edwards is due to charge the jury today before sending them out to deliberate the evidence.
During this four day trial the jury of nine men and three women heard evidence from the alleged victim and her mother who was the former partner of the 40 year old accused.
The now 19 year old told the court that the abuse began during Christmas 1998 when she was eight and continued on many occasions after that in the different houses they lived in across Clare and in a lorry owed by the 40 year old.
She said that the accused would ask her to rub his back in the bedroom and the abuse would then take place.
This was denied by the 40 year old’s mother who in her evidence said she never allowed her son to sleep in the same room as young girl
The alleged victim’s mother also told the court that she confronted the accused after a conversation with her daughter in 2005, that he denied it at first but said she was not giving him what he wanted and he had to get it from somewhere
Closing arguments have now been delivered in the case and this afternoon Justice John Edwards is due to begin charging the jury before sending them out to deliberate on the 18 separate counts and reach verdicts.
