The jury in the trial of three men accused of taking part in a gang rape is set to begin its deliberations today.
The three Cork cousins, who were aged 15, 16 and 18 at the time, are accused of raping the woman after offering her a lift home and driving her down a country lane. The men cannot be named for legal reasons.
The three men, now aged 19, 19 and 21, have all pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to oral rape, attempted rape and sexual assault on September 13th, 2009. One of the men has pleaded guilty to stealing the woman’s car from outside her home on the night.
Charges of vaginal rape against the three accused were dropped earlier in the trial because of the complainant’s evidence.