Court told man facing sex charges is due to marry

A man accused of sex with a 13-year-old schoolgirl is to marry this week.
Donegal Circuit Court was told today(Tues), when five men were listed for trial on sex charges against the girl when she was 12 and 13, that the man’s wedding this Saturday had been arranged for a year.
The detail was revealed to Judge Gerrard Griffin when deciding which trials should take place first.
A previous court ordered that the defendants aged between 24 and 34 be given separate trials.
Judge Gerrard Griffin was told that there was difficulty for the first of the five listed for trial.
Defence solicitor Paudge Dorrian said he had difficulty locating the senior counsel in the case, appointed another only late on Monday, and he was looking for an adjournment until Thursday. Mr Dorrian said the prosecution had been given eight adjournments in the case.
But prosecuting counsel Eileen O’Leary said the prosecution had only been granted one adjournment when the girl was ill.
As defence lawyers for the other four listed the number of days each trial would take before a jury the judge was told of the wedding plans of one of them who didn’t expect to be put on trial during the current sessions.
Judge Griffin adjourned the case until tomorrow(Wed).