A boy has told the trial of three men and four women accused of sexually abusing three children that he was raped by three men including his father.
The seven accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, include the parents, grandmother and aunts and uncles of the three main child complainants. The accused range in ages from 27 to 57 and live in various locations in Munster.
The Central Criminal Court heard that both parents are also accused of wilfully neglecting two of their younger children.
The 56-year-old father of the three main child complainants has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts including rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilfully neglecting a child at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th, 2014 and April 28th, 2016.
The 33-year-old mother of the three main child complainants has pleaded not guilty to 25 counts including sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilfully neglecting a child at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th, 2014 and April 28th, 2016.
The mother and father have also pleaded not guilty to wilfully neglecting two other boys at a location in Munster on unknown dates between August 18, 2014 and April 28, 2016.
The youngest of the main male complainants gave evidence on Wednesday via specialist garda interviews which took place in August 2017. The recordings of these interviews were played for the court.
The court heard these interviews took place after the boy had been taken into care in April 2016 and was living with his foster parents.
The then eight-year-old boy told gardaí in interview that his father had touched his privates with his hand and his mother had touched his privates with her hand and a stick.
The boy said the 48-year-old accused man touched his privates with a teaspoon and it felt “kind of bad”. He said the man’s partner touched his privates with her hand and it was “uncomfortable”.
When asked what he used his private for, the boy said he used it for “weeing”.
The boy said that his father, the 48-year-old accused man and the 27-year-old accused man had all anally raped him.
Reading from writings he said he had made on pieces of paper, the boy described an incident in which the 48-year-old accused man told him to go to a shed at the back of the man’s house. He said the shed was dark and had spiders in it.
The boy said another child was in the shed and he was told to put his “willy” in her bum. He said the 48-year-old man was there and he was watching.
The boy described incidents in which his older brother and sister asked him would he like to “do sex” and got on top of him and started “doing sex”.
He said that photos were taken of him when he was naked and “doing sex” and that these photos were put on “Facebook”.
The trial continues on Thursday before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.
A 35-year-old woman, who is the sister of the children’s mother, has pleaded not guilty to three counts, including sexually assaulting the girl and sexually assaulting one of the boys at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th, 2014 and April 28th , 2016.
A 48-year-old man, who is the partner of the 35-year-old woman, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts including rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th, 2014 and April 28th, 2016.
A 27-year-old man, who is the brother of the children’s mother, has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts including rape, oral rape, anal rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th, 2014 and April 28th, 2016.
A 32-year-old woman, who is the partner of the children’s 27-year-old uncle, has pleaded not guilty to four counts, including sexual assault and sexual exploitation at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th 2014 and April 28th, 2016.
Finally, the 57-year-old maternal grandmother of the three child complainants has pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting the girl by touching her genitals at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 18th, 2014 and April 28th, 2016.