A 67-year old west Clare man has appeared in court today charged with sexually assaulting and indecently assaulting three females over a 29 year period.
At Kilrush District Court sitting in Ennis on Tuesday, the man faced a total of 202 counts of sexual and indecent assault at locations in west Clare between 1976 to 2005.
Giving evidence of arrest, charge and caution, Det Garda Conor Flaherty told Judge Patrick Durcan that the 202 individual charges against the accused run across nine pages.
A member of the recently established Clare Garda Division Protective Service Unit based out of Crusheen Garda Station, Det Flaherty said that the accused man made ‘no reply’ when cautioned and charged after each of the 202 separate charges.
Det Flaherty stated that he met the accused man by appointment at a garda station in west Clare on March 5th.
In the case, the man is facing 144 counts of sexual assault against one female on dates between May 1991 and May 1997 at locations in west Clare.
The man is also facing 53 counts of indecent assault against a second female on dates between June 1976 and November 1991.
The man is also facing five counts of sexual assault concerning a third female between August 2003 to August 2005 at a location in west Clare.
The accused was aged 22 when the first alleged offence was committed in June 1976 and aged 51 at the time of the final alleged offence in August 2005.
Sgt Louis Moloney told Judge Patrick Durcan that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed trial on indictment with the case to be heard in the circuit court.
Judge Durcan granted legal aid to solicitor Patrick Moylan to represent the accused and remanded the accused man on bail to re-appear at Ennis District Court on June 15th for the preparation of a Book of Evidence.
Judge Durcan imposed reporting restrictions prohibiting the publication of the names of the accused and the alleged injured parties.
