The three men at the centre of the alleged rape of a pregnant woman in Monaghan  have been acquitted .However one of the men was found guilty of assaulting her partner before the rape was alleged to have taken place.

The first accused (aged 28) was alleged to have falsely imprisoned the woman, to have raped her orally, vaginally and anally and to have assaulted her and her partner causing them harm. The second man (aged 20) was accused of assaulting the couple causing them harm, falsely imprisoning the woman and vaginal and oral rape. The third man (aged 20) was accused of vaginal rape.

All three had pleaded not guilty to all counts. The attacks were alleged to have taken place between 15th and the 19th of November 2010.

The jury earlier in the had  been ordered by the judge to find the third accused not guilty due to lack of evidence. They took nearly four and half hours to find the other two accused not guilty of the majority of the offences.

The first accused was found guilty on the single charge of assaulting the woman’s boyfriend. He was remanded on bail until sentencing next Monday.

Mr Justice Barry White thanked the jury of seven men and five women for their attention to the trial and noted such cases are often “distasteful and tough” to listen to.

He excused them from further service for life and told them they are welcome to attend the sentence hearing on Monday.

The accused men hugged and congratulated each other and their legal teams after the verdicts were read out. The woman and her partner were not in court.

The three men at the centre of the alleged rape of a pregnant woman in Monaghan  have been acquitted .However one of the men was found guilty of assaulting her partner before the rape was alleged to have taken place.

The first accused (aged 28) was alleged to have falsely imprisoned the woman, to have raped her orally, vaginally and anally and to have assaulted her and her partner causing them harm. The second man (aged 20) was accused of assaulting the couple causing them harm, falsely imprisoning the woman and vaginal and oral rape. The third man (aged 20) was accused of vaginal rape.

All three had pleaded not guilty to all counts. The attacks were alleged to have taken place between 15th and the 19th of November 2010.

The jury earlier in the had  been ordered by the judge to find the third accused not guilty due to lack of evidence. They took nearly four and half hours to find the other two accused not guilty of the majority of the offences.

The first accused was found guilty on the single charge of assaulting the woman’s boyfriend. He was remanded on bail until sentencing next Monday.

Mr Justice Barry White thanked the jury of seven men and five women for their attention to the trial and noted such cases are often “distasteful and tough” to listen to.

He excused them from further service for life and told them they are welcome to attend the sentence hearing on Monday.

The accused men hugged and congratulated each other and their legal teams after the verdicts were read out. The woman and her partner were not in court.