**This story contains details that people might find distressing**
A husband and wife accused of assaulting a child in their care in Kerry have been remanded on bail.
The husband, who is in his 40s, faces 45 charges, including 35 counts of sexual assault, and 10 counts of assault.
The wife, who’s in her 50s, faces 23 charges, including 12 counts of sexual assault, one count of assault, and ten counts of illtreating a child in her care.
All charges relate to the one injured party, a female, and the alleged offences took place between 2009 and 2020 in addresses in Kerry.
At the request of the couple’s solicitor, Pádraig O’Connell, Judge Alec Gabbett directed that the couple not be identified to protect the identity of the alleged victim.
The first accused, the husband in the couple, faces 35 counts of sexually assaulting the female at three separate addresses on unknown dates between 2015 and 2020.
Eight counts which the man faces relate to him allegedly beating her with a stick, including once while she was tied to a chair.
The remaining two counts allege that the man struck her on the hands with a stick, and on a separate occasion, assaulted her with a curtain pole while she was tied to a chair.
The co-accused, the wife in the couple, faces 12 counts of sexual assault against the alleged victim, between October 2019 and November 2020.
She also faces one count of assaulting a child in her care with a curtain pole.
The woman faces ten other counts which allege she illtreated the child, nine of which relate to alleged force feeding, and one which alleges the child was forced to bite the woman's toenails.
Tralee District Court was told the man replied “not guilty” to each charge after he was cautioned, and the woman made no reply to the charges when they were put to her.
The state did not object to bail, but attached conditions including that the couple does not make contact with the alleged victim.
Their solicitor, Pádraig O’Connell, told the court they were also going to hand over their passports to the court, indicating they are not a flight risk.
The court heard the DPP has directed prosecute on indictment in the Circuit Court, and the pair have been remanded on bail to appear at Tralee District Court next Thursday, August 24th, for the book of evidence.
