A 49-year-old garda based in Co Cork was yesterday returned for trial on six counts of sexually assaulting three young females over a nine-year period.
The officer, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the three complainants, was served with the book of evidence in the case when he appeared at Macroom District Court.
State Solicitor for west Cork, Malachy Boohig told the court that the Director of Public Prosecution had directed the matter be dealt with by way of indictment at Circuit Court level. The garda is charged with two counts of sexually assaulting one of the complainants between February 1999 and March 2001 when she was aged between 17 and 19 years.
He is also charged with one count of sexually assaulting another complainant between May 1992 and April 1995 when she was aged between 12 and 15 years.
And he is also charged with three counts of sexually assaulting a third complainant between March 1993 and March 1995 when she was aged between 12 and 14 years.
Mr Boohig applied to Judge James McNulty to have the matter returned to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court commencing on February 13th.
He also applied to have reporting restrictions imposed by Judge McNulty on the last occasion continued as two of the complainants were under 15 at the time of the alleged offences.
Mr Boohig said there was a real concern that the complainants would be readily identified if the name of the accused was published because of close connections between them.
Judge McNulty said that he had some misgivings about continuing the reporting restriction as there were many people in the same occupation, and the publicity ban could lead to some confusion.
However, he accepted Mr Boohig's argument. He also granted an application by the man's barrister, Donal O'Sullivan, for free legal aid and remanded the man on bail to appear at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on February 13th.
