Gardaí carrying out an extensive criminal investigation into a serious offence more than a decade ago have uncovered other evidence the State has now used to charge three men with rape, child cruelty and neglect, assault causing harm and threats to kill.
The three men charged are in their 30s, 40s and 50s and were arrested early last year as a house was being searched in Navan, Co Meath.
They were released without charge pending further investigation before being detained again on Tuesday morning for the purposes of charging and a court appearance.
Some of the details of the investigation cannot be disclosed because of court rules around cases involving sexual crimes and/or children.
The three men, all with addresses in Co Meath, were brought before Trim District Court on Tuesday for their first court appearance, with gardaí confirming only that they had been charged after appearing before a judge.
A total of 22 charges have been approved against the three men. One of the accused, who is in his 30s, faces 10 counts of rape, one of attempted rape, two charges of cruelty or neglect to children, two charges of assault causing harm and two further charges of making threats to kill.
The 10 rapes are all alleged to have taken place at a location in Navan on unknown dates covering the period from July 2019 to February 2022. The attempted rape is alleged to have occurred on an unknown date between July 2021 and February 2022.
The same man also faces two charges of cruelty or neglect to a child. One of those offences is alleged to have occurred on an unknown date between July 2012 and February 2022.
The other alleged offence took place on an unknown date between July 2013 and February 2022.
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It is claimed he “did wilfully assault, ill-treat, neglect, abandon, expose the said child or cause, procure or allow the said child to be assaulted/ill-treated/neglected/ abandoned/exposed” in a manner likely to cause suffering or injury.
The same defendant is also facing two charges of assault causing harm; one on an unknown date between July 2021 and February 2022 and the other on an unknown date between July 2013 and June 2016.
The two charges of threats to kill or cause serious harm to a named person are alleged to taken place in Navan. One charge relates to an unknown date between July 2021 and February 2022. The other is alleged to have taken place on an unknown date between January 2015 and February 2022.
A second defendant, who is in his 50s, faces two charges, both of child cruelty-neglect alleged to have taken place in Navan. They are alleged to have occurred on unknown dates between July 2013 and February 2022 in one case, and July 2012 and February 2022 in the other.
The third man before the court on Tuesday is in his 40s and faces three charges, alleging he recklessly endangered a child in his care or committed acts of neglect of cruelty.
On the charge of reckless endangerment it is alleged he “created a substantial risk to the child of being a victim of serious harm and sexual abuse and failed to take reasonable steps to protect the child”. The crime is alleged to have occurred on a date between July 2013 and February 2022.
On the two charges of neglect or cruelty, it is alleged he “did wilfully assault, ill-treat, neglect, abandon, expose the said child or cause, procure or allow the said child to be assaulted/ill-treated/neglected/ abandoned/exposed” in manner likely to caused suffering or injury.
One of those offences is alleged to have occurred on a date between July 2012 and February 2022, and the other on a date between July 2013 and February 2022.