A 19-year-old man has been found not guilty of raping a teenage girl after a night out in a town in Donegal in March 2016.
The then 16-year-old insisted whatever sexual activity that took place between them that night was consensual.
The jurors returned to the courtroom after just two hours of deliberations to inform the court they had found the accused not guilty of rape and oral rape.
From the witness box earlier in the trial, the complainant told the court she was out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day 2016 and met the accused afterwards.
She said she agreed to go for a walk with him and claimed he raped her against a wall in the car park outside a nearby building.
During closing speeches, the prosecuting barrister told the jurors her injuries were not consistent with a consensual sexual encounter.
In response, his barrister questioned her credibility and her recollection of events.
On behalf of the accused, Michael O’Higgins also referred to some CCTV footage of the teenagers walking together after the alleged rape.
In a report for the DPP, one of the investigating officers described how she didn't appear to be “overtly upset” in the footage.
The young man’s parents cried and held each other when their son was acquitted. The complainant was also crying as she left the courtroom.
Digital Desk
