A 38-year-old Galway man accused of raping and sexually assaulting his niece has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was brought before Galway District Court last week where he was charged with seven counts of raping a minor and three counts of sexually assaulting her on dates unknown between September 1, 2004, and February 28, 2005.
The accused was remanded on this own bail with strict conditions to appear in court again on Monday. However defence solicitor Adrian MacLynn informed the court that his client is currently an in-patient in a psychiatric hospital and was not deemed fit to attend.
The man was remanded in his absence on continuing bail to appear at Galway District Court on April 26 for service of the book of evidence.
