A Galwayman falsely accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl had his conviction quashed on Monday.
The girl admitted making up the allegation and said it was done out of "revenge and misplaced loyalty to my family" because of a dispute over land.
The Court of Criminal Appeal heard on Monday the DPP was not challenging the man's appeal against conviction, and the court said, on that basis, it would quash the conviction.
In 1999 the man, now in his mid-30s, received a suspended four-year prison sentence at Galway Circuit Court. He had been found guilty of sexually assaulting and of assaulting the girl near her home in Co Galway in January 1997.
He had vehemently denied the charges.
The girl, whose family were in dispute with the family of the man over land, claimed he had sexually assaulted her, but later said she wanted to tell the truth, so his name could be cleared.
In 2006 the girl, who is now in her 20s and resides outside of the country, made statements to the gardai withdrawing her complaints against the man.
The girl also admitted that her original complaints were fabricated and false in their entirety.
She told gardai that none of the allegations against the man was true and that her motivation for making them was "revenge and misplaced loyalty to my family".
She also admitted that she had never come into contact with the man, nor had any conversations with him at any stage in his life, and that she was never coerced or coached by anyone.
The court yesterday had the man's application to have his conviction declared a miscarriage of justice adjourned to next month's list to fix dates.
