A jury of eight men and four women deliberated for almost 10 hours in Waterford Circuit Criminal Court last week. The trial, which saw a Waterford man accused of six counts of sexual assault, was held in-camera with strict reporting restrictions in place. These restrictions directed that neither the accused nor the complainant could be named during reporting in order to protect the identity of the complainant. After 10 hours of deliberation, the jury found the accused guilty on one count of sexual assault- the sixth count. They failed to reach a verdict on the other five charges before the court.

Presiding Judge, Eugene O’Kelly heard from the jurors that they were in a deadlock and a verdict could not be reached on the first five charges. Judge O’Kelly advised that further instructions were now to be awaited from the DPP. He also advised that their role in this case has come to an end, with them excused from jury service for a six year period from now.

A guilty verdict was returned in the case of the sixth charge of sexual assault. This refers to an incident in the accused’s vehicle on a date unknown between May 1st 2005 and June 30th 2005. He offered a lift to the complainant and her friend, and while the complainant was getting out of the car, she says he ‘grabbed her’ by the backside.

The man, who is now in his 50s, is guilty of assaulting a then teenage girl, who claimed she was between 15 and 16 years of age at the time.

For the latest Waterford News and Sport,tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand