Woman who claimed abuse by Irish dancing teacher wins civil case

A woman who was sexually abused over seven years by her Irish dancing teacher has been awarded €400,000 by the High Court.
The woman, who is now 41, had taken a civil action against the man over the abuse, which happened between 1982 and 1989.
A ruling on whether the man’s name can be published is expected later this week.
The man’s lawyers said he continues to deny all the allegations, and the woman should not have been allowed take the action because of the delay involved.
However, the court had heard evidence that the woman is suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder, and the judge ruled she should not be prevented from taking the action because she had suffered a severe psychological injury as a result of the abuse, and that had affected her ability to take the case.
The man was charged with the abuse, but two trials ended with the jury disagreeing.
Mr Justice Sean Ryan ruled the woman had established on the balance of probabilities that the man had carried out acts of sexual abuse against her.
He described her evidence as coherent, consistent, credible and detailed, while in contrast, he ruled the man’s evidence was inconsistent and unconvincing.