The jury at the Central Criminal Court returned the guilty verdicts on two charges of sexual assault on dates in 1998 and 2001. These verdicts were by 10-2 majority following almost five hours deliberation.

The jury then returned its 40 not guilty verdicts on the 60-year-old man almost two-and-a-half hours later. It was day-six of the hearing and the seven men and five women spent one night in a hotel.

Mr Justice John Edwards directed that the man's name be added to the register of sex offenders and remanded him on continuing bail for sentence later this month.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr Paul Burns SC, with Mr Paul Greene BL, told the judge that gardai had no objections to a remand on bail on conditions including that he sign on daily at a named garda station and have no contact with the complainant or her family.

He had pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial to 43 charges - 12 of rape and 31 of sexual assault of the now 16-year-old complainant on dates from 1998 to 2005 in Limerick.

Mr Justice Edwards directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict on one of the rape charges, following a submission by defence counsel, Mr Brendan Nix SC. Mr Nix, with Mr Philip Moloney BL, at the end of the prosecution case.

Mr Justice Edwards thanked the jury for its "very great diligence and attention to the case" and granted the seven men and five women a three-years exemption from further jury service.

The teenager had claimed the man sexually assaulted her almost every day she was alone with him from the time she was "very young" and that he raped her for the first time when she was 11.

She denied a suggestion by Mr Nix that she had been "coached" in relation to her evidence and disagreed also with him that the phrase "he abused our trust" used by her was not one typical of a teenager.

The jury heard medical evidence that nothing "abnormal" was found when she was examined