PJ faced 27 counts including rapes against three women and sexual assaults against his two daughters, in addition to taking indecent photographs and videos of children performing sexual acts and his partner, who was then 15. The rapes relating to one of the complainants were filmed in a “home movie” style by video camera and had been edited by PJ. The defence run was one of consent with regards to all three women and fabrication regarding his daughters. The dates of the allegations ranged from between 1986 and 2011.
The trial involved careful handling of vulnerable witnesses; the vulnerability of the witnesses were due to a number of different factors ranging from age to previous sexual abuse by different individuals. In addition to this, PJ was found to be functioning in the 0.02 per cent of the population for ability to comprehend information and, therefore, an intermediary had to be applied for and utilised throughout the trial.
Despite the volume of evidence, the number of complainants, the difficulties in testing evidence with such vulnerable witnesses and PJ’s learning difficulties affecting his ability to give instructions and evidence, PJ was unanimously acquitted of all counts with regards to four of the complainants by the jury. He was only convicted of the counts which had video or photographic evidence to support them with regards to one of the complainants. These counts are now the subject of appeal on a point of law.
