An 72-year old Ennis man has appeared before court charged with 24 counts of rape against a female alleged to have been committed during the mid-1980s.
At Ennis District Court, the pensioner appeared in connection with 54 sex offence charges in total spanning an eight year period concerning two alleged female victims.
In the case, all of the alleged offences – except two – concern sex offences against one female.
In the case, the man is charged with 24 counts of rape against the female at a residential address in an Ennis housing estate from January 1985 to January 1987.
The charge of rape against the accused is contrary to Section 48 of the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 and Section 2 of the Criminal Law Rape Amendment Act.
The accused was aged 31 to 33 at the time of the alleged rape offences.
As the accused is facing multiple charges of rape, he will be sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court after a Book of Evidence is prepared in the case.
The man is also charged with 28 counts of the indecent assault of the same female at various locations in Ennis during the same period from 1985 to 1987.
Two of the indecent assaults are alleged to have occurred in two named Ennis pubs.
The vast bulk of the alleged indecent assaults are alleged to have occurred at the same residential address in Ennis where the rape offences are alleged to have taken place.
In total the accused is facing multiple indecent assault charges against the female at that Ennis address and a separate indecent assault charge at a separate nearby Ennis housing estate.
The accused is also facing two indecent assault charges against another female that are alleged to have occurred at two residential Ennis addresses.
In one charge, the accused is alleged on a date unknown between February 6th 1984 and February 5th 1986 at a residential address to have indecently assaulted the female cntrary to Common Law as provided for by Section 10 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981.
The man is also charged with on a date unknown between February 6th 1987 and February 5th 1991 at a separate residential address in Ennis of indecently assaulting the same female.
The investigating Garda in the case is Garda Cathy Burke and Garda Burke told the court that the accused made no reply after charge and caution when charged before court.
Judge Elizabeth Healy remanded the accused on bail to re-appear before the court on November 11th for the serving of a Book of Evidence.
