TEENAGER CONVICTED OF RAPING GIRL, 13

A TEENAGER has been convicted of the sexual assault and rape of a 13-year-old girl he had been dating for a number of weeks.

- BY SONYA MCLEAN and EIMEAR DODD

The accused, who is now 16, pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to three charges of oral rape and one of rape of the girl on dates between June and July 2023.

The incidents occurred in a Co Galway housing estate where both children were living with their families. The accused was 14 years old at the time.

A jury returned the verdicts on day six of the trial, following three and a half hours of deliberation.

Mr Justice Patrick McGrath thanked the jurors for their attention during the trial.