Derry Crown Court facing 12-month trial backlog
A 42-year-old man denies rape, gross indecency, and indecent assault charges dating back to the late 1990s
Derry Crown Court heard today that the next available trial dates are after Halloween next year.
The comments were made in the case of a 42-year-old man pleaded not guilty to a series of historical sex offences.
The man who cannot be named to protect the identity of the alleged victim in the case appeared to face a total of 13 charges.
He faced one count of rape on a date between January 1 1998 and January 1 2001.
He was also charged with four counts of gross indecency with or towards a child over the same time period, seven counts of indecent assault on a female again over the same time period and one count of inciting a child to commit an act gross indecency again in the same date range.
When the charges were put to him the man pleaded not guilty.
The court heard that the trial is expected to last at least a week.
Judge Roseanne McCormick KC said that the next available trial dates she had were for the end of October next year.
The case was adjourned until December 17 for a review.