Eleven plead not guilty to multiple counts of abuse

Six women and five men have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of sexually abusing, exploiting and neglecting four children in Munster.

One of the men is also charged with inappropriately administering medication to one of the children. 

The 11 defendants range in age from 26 to 77 and live at various addresses in Munster. They cannot be named to protect the identity of the children. They pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 36 sample charges out of a total of 300 charges. 

The charges include rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child cruelty and neglect. A number of the defendants also pleaded not guilty to failing to alert gardaí to various alleged crimes against the children.

The offences are alleged to have occurred at a number of locations in the Munster region between June 2014 and August 2017.

They are due to go on trial next year in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.  But lawyers for almost all of them are seeking separate trials and this will be the subject of a hearing in November. 

A 55-year-old man pleaded not guilty to five charges, including raping a girl and inappropriately medicating her.  He also pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a boy, neglecting or ill-treating the same boy, and sexually exploiting the boy by inducing him to engage in a sexual act with another boy. 

A 33-year-old woman also pleaded not guilty to five charges. She denied sexually assaulting two girls and also pleaded not guilty to allowing another female defendant to sexually assault one of the girls. 

She also denied sexually exploiting one boy and neglecting or ill treating him. 

A 48-year-old man pleaded not guilty to four charges. He denied raping one girl and sexually assaulting the other girl.  He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting both boys. 

A 34-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to four charges. She denied three counts of sexually assaulting two boys and one girl. She also pleaded not guilty to failing to tell gardaí that the 55-year-old man had in appropriately medicated one of the children. 

The youngest of the defendants, a 26-year-old man, also pleaded not guilty to four charges.  He pleaded not guilty to raping one of the girls and two counts of sexually assaulting another girl and a boy. He also denied sexually exploiting the other boy on a football pitch by inducing him to engage in a sexual act. 

A 31-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting the two girls. She also denied sexually exploiting one of the boys by inducing him to engage in a sexual act with one of the girls. 

A 35-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting one girl. She also denied one count of failing to tell gardaí that one of the men was sexually exploiting one of the boys and failing to tell gardaí that the 55-year-old man was inappropriately medicating two of the children.

A 77-year-old man denied three charges. He pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting two girls. He also pleaded not guilty to one count of failing to tell gardaí that two of his co-accused had ill-treated or neglected children in their care.

A 56-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting two girls.

A 36-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to two counts. She denied sexually exploiting one of the boys and failing to tell gardaí that two of her co-accused had ill-treated or neglected children in their care.

Finally, a 31-year-old man pleaded not guilty to one count of sexually assaulting one of the girls.

All defendants are currently on bail.