A couple have had their convictions for the female genital mutilation (FGM) of their one-year-old daughter, which were quashed after they spent two years in prison, declared a miscarriage of justice.
Their trial was the first of its kind in Ireland and was the subject of a joint investigation between RTÉ Documentary on One and RTÉ Investigates.
At the Court of Appeal Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said newly discovered facts disclosed in expert reports show that there has been a miscarriage of justice.
"We find on the balance of probabilities that the applicants are factually innocent," he said, "For this reason we grant a certificate pursuant to S9 (1) (a) of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993."
The husband and wife became the first people to be convicted of the charge in the history of the State, after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury found them guilty in November 2019 of carrying out an act of FGM on their daughter at a Dublin address on 16 September 2016.
Both had pleaded not guilty.
Their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2021 after it found the trial had been "unfair" because of "serious and far-reaching inaccuracies" in how the mother and father's testimony was translated to the jury.
Read more: First Conviction: A family torn apart, a system on trial
A jury at a retrial in 2023 failed to reach an agreement and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) subsequently dropped the charges.
The couple, who are originally from a French-speaking region of Africa, subsequently launched a bid to have their quashed convictions declared a miscarriage of justice.
At the hearing in January, lawyers for the parents said that an examination of the child by Swedish FGM expert Professor Birgitta Éssen in December 2023 proved that she had never been subjected to the procedure.
The court heard the DPP dropped the charges after a new report commissioned by the State "broadly" agreed with Prof Essen’s conclusions.
'Our hearts are filled with joy'
The couple, who cannot be identified to protect their child, issued a statement saying their hearts were "filled with joy" following the court's ruling.
They said they finally received the justice they deserved and were granted their certificate.
They said nothing would ever erase what they had gone through or would give them back the ten years they had lost.
They said the "pain, suffering and uncertainty" their family had endured would always be part of their story.
And they said the separation from their children was one of the greatest hardships they had ever faced, but they said today the truth had come to light.
In their statement the couple said they prayed no other family would ever have to experience the heartbreak, trauma, pain, separation and uncertainty that they had lived through.
They added that no one deserved to endure what they did.
The couple thanked their legal teams for "fighting tirelessly" for the truth and said they were grateful to the judges for ensuring justice was served.
They also thanked everyone who "contributed to this victory directly or indirectly".
They said this "support, encouragement and belief" in them carried them through the darkest moments.
And they said those who had helped them would forever remain in their thoughts, prayers and hearts.
Outside court, solicitor James MacGuill, who represented the husband, said the couple were very pleased.
'The system has worked today'
He said the court's judgment was a very strong statement, holding that the couple were completely innocent, that there was a miscarriage of justice and that the medical opinions in the end showed they were innocent.
He said the system had worked today.
Mr MacGuill said the couple were relieved as coming to court was always stressful, particularly with the history of this case.
He said it was a "great day for the family".
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Ireland