A North Kerry man accused of sexually assaulting his own daughter on Christmas Day is standing trial in Tralee.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces seven counts in total of sexually assaulting his daughter over a number of years.
The man faces seven charges at the Circuit Court trial in Tralee, which each relate to a separate allegation of sexual assault.
The man pleaded not guilty to each count at Tralee Circuit Court yesterday morning, when he was arraigned.
It’s alleged that the first two incidents happened at a property in North Kerry, when his daughter was under 15 years old.
It’s alleged that five other incidents of sexual assault happened when the girl was 16 years old, at properties in Kerry and Cork.
Within these counts, are allegations of two separate sexual assaults on the same day, on Christmas Day a number of years ago.
The jury of seven men and five women were told that the law states anyone under the age of 15 cannot consent to sexual acts, and that for the later counts, the prosecution will argue the girl did not consent to the alleged touching, and resisted.
Prosecuting barrister Tom Rice told the jury they will have to decide if the seven events actually happened, and if so, whether they amounted to sexual assault.
The trial is expected to last until the end of the week, with evidence beginning this morning.
