A MAN facing retrial for allegedly raping his daughter has been refused bail, after the Central Criminal Court heard the girl had received Garda protection. The man had conspired to have him self shot to avoid the first hearing of the ease, the court was told.
He is also before the Special Criminal Court on an unrelated matter.
Det Insp Michael Canavan told Mr Justice Kinlen that the Court of Criminal Appeal had ordered retrial after quashing the man's original conviction and 10 year sentence for the alleged sex offence.
He had been on bail leading up to the first trial but that bail was revoked when he did not appear on the first day. The previous day he had been shot in the leg.
Det Insp Canavan told prosecuting counsel Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC that the accused man had conspired to have himself shot.
His daughter had also been offered large sums of money to drop the charges and she had been given Garda protection.
The trial took place on a later date and the accused man was jailed for 10 years for the sexual attack. The victim had since indicated she was not anxious to give evidence against her father in a second trial.
Defence counsel Mr Barry White said his client had spent a considerable time in custody before his conviction was quashed.
As a man considered innocent now he was asking for his constitutional right to bail.
Mr Justice Kinlen said he had to have regard to the evidence that the daughter had previously been given protection. He had to ret use to allow bail.