A FORMER soldier has been jailed for three years for sexually assaulting a Cork schoolgirl. Last October, following a seven-day trial, a jury failed to agree verdicts on two other charges of sexual assault and two of rape, using an object, in relation to the same girl.
The jury had also been directed by Mr Justice Geoghegan to return a verdict of not guilty on a further charge against the 49- year-old man. Imposing sentence in the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Mr Justice Geoghegan said he could only have regard to the guilty verdicts the jury returned on the charges relating to two incidents in 1993 and 1994. He said he was satisfied the defendant had a rough upbringing, as he was one of a family of 24. However, this was no excuse for his offending.