He allegedly tried to choke her after entering her friend’s room and refusing to leave.
Content warning: this article contains details of sexual abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
A teenage boy allegedly raped a girl when she was at a sleepover at his house, Dublin Children’s Court heard.
In a preliminary hearing yesterday, the boy appeared in court charged with the rape and sexual assault of the girl.
Garda Kathy Byrne told Judge Brendan Toale that the rape was alleged to have taken place at his home last year when the girl was at a sleepover with her friend.
The boy was 14 and the girl was 13 at the time.
The court heard she was in her friend’s room when the boy allegedly entered and was asked to get out. It was then claimed he got on top of her and made a crude remark, to which she responded she would tell his parents what happened.
The garda said it was alleged the boy put one hand on her throat and the other on the bed as he “tried to choke her” and that he raped her minutes later.
The court heard he was arrested several months afterwards but denied the allegations when he was questioned in the presence of his mother.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment, meaning he will face the Central Criminal Court on the rape charge.
The preliminary hearing commenced yesterday to decide whether the sexual assault charge should be dealt with separately in the Children’s Court or be part of the trial in the higher court.
The State solicitor submitted that both cases should be dealt with together in one trial at the Central Criminal Court as two sequential trials, one in the Central Criminal Court and the other in the Children’s Court, would be against the interests of both the defendant and complainant.
The girl could be re-victimised and the boy would have to face two trials, she argued.
Defence solicitor Brian Keenan argued that the boy’s age was a special circumstance for two sets of proceedings.
Adjourning the case, Judge Toale said he will consider both submissions and give a ruling on the issue of whether the trial should be split or not later this month.
One-fifth of sexual offences in Ireland are reported to involve children as both the offender and the victim.
If you have been affected by any of the details of this article, you can contact Women’s Aid’s 24 hour helpline on 1800 341 900, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888, or Childline on 1800 66 66 66.
