Man denies raping babysitter
A 19-year-old woman has told the Central Criminal Court her sister’s neighbour sexually assaulted and raped her when she was babysitting her nephew in the summer of 1995.
The Cork woman, who had been 12-years-old at the time of the alleged incidents, told the court the man used to come to her sister’s flat to use the dryer.
On two such occasions, when there had been no one else in the flat except herself and the children, the man had sexually assaulted her. On the third occasion, she said, he raped her after throwing her onto the bed.
The 39-year-old Cork man has denied two counts of sexual assault and one count of raping the girl on dates unknown between June 1, 1995 and September 30, 1995.
The woman, who broke down several times during her evidence, told the court she had felt “very dirty” after the alleged rape. She said the accused came into the bedroom while she was there with her nephew and asked the little boy to leave.
He then pushed her onto the bed and lay on top of her. She said he held her hands down as he first put his hands under her top and then pulled her jeans down. He then raped her and only stopped when her nephew came back into the room.
The hearing was adjourned shortly after lunch for legal argument in the absence of the jury and will resume before Mr Justice Paul Carney this morning.
