A man has been convicted of abusing his son at their home in Waterford between 2009 and 2011.

The boy’s mother was cleared of two charges of sexual assault but the jury still has to consider one charge of cruelty.

Our Courts Correspondent Frank Greaney reports; some people may find the contents of the report distressing:

The jury returned to the court room at 4 o’clock this afternoon having deliberated for just over seven hours.

Before being sent home for the weekend, the registrar asked if they’d reached a verdict on any of the 22 charges against the couple.

The foreman said they had. All twelve jurors found the father guilty of nine counts of rape, but cleared him of another nine related charges.

He was also convicted of cruelty for locking his son into a wooden cage-like box when he was 6. The court heard he was left there for several hours.

The boy, who’s now 12 and in care, also made a number of allegations against his mother. She was today found not guilty of two counts of sexual assault and the jury still has to consider a single count of cruelty.

His father was remanded in custody until Monday when the jurors will resume their deliberations in relation to that final remaining charge.