OUTRAGE has been sparked after a teenage girl's underwear was used as evidence against her in a rape case.

The 17-year-old's "thong with a lace front" was presented as part of the defence's closing address in Cork Central Criminal Court last week.

Elizabeth O'Connell SC told jurors: "You have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front.”

She asked them consider if what the teen was wearing showed she was "open to meeting someone and being with someone", reports the Irish Examiner.

Noeline Blackwell, the head of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, told The Independent she was not surprised that the girl's underwear was the focus for the defence.

She said: "The reference to the girl’s underwear and the assumption and inference that the jury was being invited to draw – that because she was dressed like that she was asking for sex – does not surprise us.

“We accompany people to court and the whole time we see rape stereotypes used to discredit complainants and to enforce elements of the defendant’s case.”

Furious people commented on social media about remarks being made about her underwear.

Brianna Parkins tweeted: "A 17-year-old girl's underwear was considered fair game at a rape trial. In 2018. In Ireland."

While an editor of the Irish Times posted: "Can’t get over this barrister asking jury to reflect on a teen’s underwear and if her lace thong suggested she was ‘open’ to meeting someone.

“Wondering what kind of underwear suggests a man is ‘open’ to meeting someone? Any legal experts know? Appalling.”

Another person tweeted a picture of different underwear, adding: "Oh decision decision" Not relevant.

"Rape is rape and blame not absolved by suggesting her underwear was a factor."

One woman wrote: "I just cannot believe that still to this day judges are commenting on the clothing of alleged victims. The underwear this girl chose to wear has no relevance whatsoever to her allegation of rape."

Earlier this week the 27-year-old defendant was found not guilty of raping the teenage girl in County Cork.

The jury, of eight men and four women, took an hour and a half to reach a unanimous verdict.

During the trial, the jury heard how after a night out the teen told the man “you raped me”, and he responded “no, we just had sex".