A WESTMEATH teenager has been convicted of attempting to rape a woman in 1994 when he was aged 13.
Mr Justice Michael Moriarty remanded the now 15 year old youth in continuing custody for sentence at the Central Criminal Court on September 23rd.
The jury of nine men and three women took just over two hours to convict the defendant of attempting to rape the 25 year old victim on March 26th, 1994.
The jury also found the youth guilty of sexual assault and assaulting the woman, causing actual bodily harm.
During the 13 day trial, the defendant denied the charges. Following seven days of legal argument in the absence of the jury, the defendant's sister (18) and his male cousin (also 18) were cleared of charges of rape and assault by direction of Mr Justice Moriarty.
On the first day, the victim cried loudly as she described regaining consciousness in a field, to find a girl holding her down while a younger boy raped her.
She had earlier attended a disco with her brother but left on her own. She recalled meeting a group of about three boys and a girl. She said she spoke to them and her next memory was of waking up in the field with the girl lying across her top half.
She broke down, before continuing with her evidence, describing how a young boy was lying on her lower body raping her. She said the boy was about 14 and claimed he repeatedly taunted her saying: "You like that, don't ya." She said a taller youth stood beside her.
She next remembered coming to again and finding herself alone, naked and freezing. She went to a factory and climbed into a locker room through a window, where she was found soon afterwards.
She agreed she drank before the incident and was not used to a lot of alcohol.
On day 10 of the trial, the court heard the youth was arrested on April 1st, 1994. His mother came to the station and for 15 minutes he denied being near the rape but then he agreed to make a statement.
The court heard he told gardai that he had been at a youth disco before meeting up with his sister, cousin and two other boys. The victim asked directions to a friend's house and she was staggering from drink.
He said both he and his cousin took the girl by the hands and walked her into the field with the intent to "have a go at her" which meant they have sex.
He said they ripped off her clothes as she screamed and his sister held the woman down while his cousin and the other two boys, raped her. The accused said he also tried unsuccessfully to have sex with the victim and he hit her on the head with a milk carton when he failed to do so.
He said the woman screamed and begged them to stop but the group, including his sister, laughed and she bit the woman's shoulder. As they left, the woman was on the ground groaning in pain, his statement added.