A look back at the trial that gripped the nation.
Tonight - Thursday 19 July - RTÉ will air Acquitted: The Rugby Rape Trial, a documentary on
the trial that shook Ireland.
At the end of March, Ulster Rugby and Ireland players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were acquitted of all charges following a nine-week trial that gripped the nation.
Their friends Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison were also cleared after the verdict was delivered at Belfast Crown Court.
Jackson and Olding were charged with the rape of a 19-year-old girl.
McIlroy had been charged with exposure and Harrison had been charged with with perverting the course of justice, and of withholding information.
The trial saw the acquittal of all four men on March 28, including the former Ireland rugby players Jackson and Olding. The verdict also led to major protests throughout the country.
RTÉ One will air a 35-minute documentary dedicated to the events tonight at 10.15pm, looking over the trial and the social media reaction that took place during and afterwards.
The programme features contributions from former Ireland rugby international Neil Francis, solicitor Paul Dougan who represented Stuart Olding at trial, and journalist and barrister Brenda Power.
Sinead O'Carroll of The Journal, author Susan McKay and a number of journalists who covered the trial on a daily basis will also feature, including Conor Gallagher of The Irish Times, Niamh Horan of the Sunday Independent and Amanda Ferguson.
Watch the trailer for Acquitted: The Rugby Rape Trial below.
https://youtu.be/AcP0kyCXcLE
Clip via RTÉ
