A CO Antrim man jailed for a rape allegedly committed more than 45 years ago is to have his conviction overturned, the Court of Appeal ruled today.
Senior judges held that new disclosures about the complainant's gambling debts of up to £30,000 rendered the guilty verdict unsafe.
They also identified inconsistencies between her evidence at trial and information she later provided for a victim impact report.
With prosecutors given two weeks to confirm if they will seek a retrial, the 65-year-old man she accused of attacking her as a child was released on bail.
In November 2017 the defendant, identified only as M for legal reasons, was convicted by majority verdicts at Belfast Crown Court of rape and three counts of indecent assault.
He received a five-year prison sentence for the offences - all allegedly committed against a female referred to as B on dates between April 1971 and December 1973.
The man was acquitted on 28 other counts of sexual offences against two sisters of B. His legal team challenged the outcome, claiming the trial process had been unfair.
They also argued that a consultant psychiatrist's report, prepared for sentencing, disclosed information about B's significant gambling debts that had not been available during the trial.
The court heard she revealed to the doctor that by April 2015 she had sold her house amid accumulated debts of £30,000.
Defence lawyers contended this gave her a financial motive to invent an allegation against M on that basis that she could recover compensation to help clear what she owed.
A pay-out of £27,000 is available for rape resulting in mental illness, according to their case.
Other information from her in the report, unavailable at trial and inconsistent with her evidence, was also likely to cast doubt on the convictions, the defence argued.
Quashing the convictions Lord Justice Deeney confirmed: "This court is left with a significant sense of unease about the safety of this verdict."
