Donegal man faces 67 charges including rape and child exploitation

A Donegal man has appeared in court charged with 67 sexual offences, including 13 counts of rape.

The man, who is in his 50s, was brought before Letterkenny District Court.

Detective Garda David Anthony Leahy gave evidence of the arrest, charge and caution of the man.

The man was arrested at 9.26am on March 26 and charged at 9.40am on the same date. He made no reply to any of the charges. 

The court was informed that the man will go forward to the Central Criminal Court in Dublin to face some of the charges while the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that the others be dealt with at Letterkenny Circuit Court. 

He faces 13 charges that on dates between November 2015 and November 22 that he did rape a male. The charges are contrary to section 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape Amendment) Act, 1990.

He also faces 11 charges that he did, on dates between November 2020 and November 2022, knowingly produce any child pornography, knowingly cause or facilitate any activity set out in section 5 (1) (a), (b) or (c) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998, knowingly possess any child pornography for the purpose of distribution, publication, exportation, sale or show. These charges are contrary to section 5(1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998.

He is charged with allowing such a child to be used for the production of pornography, contrary to section 4 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998 and he faces a charge that, by means of information and communication technology, by telephone, he sent sexually explicit material of a child, contrary to section 8 (2) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017.

He faces 23 charges of the sexual assault of a male, on dates between January 2016 and June 2021, charges that are contrary to section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape Amendment) Act, 1990 as amended by section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act, 2001.

He is charged with 10 counts of sexually exploiting a child, an offence contrary to section 3 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 (as amended by Section 6 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act, 2007) and as substituted by Section 3 (2) of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act, 2008.

The man is charged with sexually assaulting a female in 2016, also contrary to section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape Amendment) Act, 1990 as amended by section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act, 2001.

He is further charged with sexually exploiting another child and faces four further charges of sexually assaulting another female.

The man also faces a charge that, on a date between June 2017 and June 2018, he did for sexual purposes, invite, induce, counsel or incite a child under the age of 15 years to touch, with a part of the body, the body of another person, including the person who so invited, induced, counselled or incited the child. The charge is contrary to section 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.

The accused is also facing a charge that he did, on a date between June 2017 and June 2018,  for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification from the presence of a child or corrupting or depraving a child, intentionally engaged in sexual activity whether or not with another person, when the child is present or in a place from which the person can be observed by the child, and (b) knowing or believing that the child is aware, or intending that the child should be aware, that the person is engaging in sexual activity.

That charge is contrary to section 5 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.

Judge Ciaran Liddy granted bail on condition that the man stay away from any witnesses in the case and stay away from a named business premises in Donegal. 

He is also to sign on at a specific Garda station in County Donegal once a week. 

A publication order has been put in place - meaning that the accused man cannot be named - in order to prevent any of the alleged injured parties in the case being identified. 

Legal aid was granted to solicitor Mr Donough Cleary. 

The case was adjourned until May 7 for the service of a book of evidence.