Accused radio star denies abuse allegations
The radio personality accused of sexually abusing four young girls told a Central Criminal Court jury he never interfered with any of the complainants.
The now 66-year-old man asked one of two sisters he allegedly abused to "please tell the truth" because, he said, his children had been taken into care by the authorities as a result of the allegations.
He also said allegations were made against him by staff at his radio station in an effort to ruin his career when they were setting up their own rival station.
He has pleaded not guilty to a total of 33 charges alleging sexual assaults on four females on dates from May 1974 to January 1989.
He denies one charge each of attempted carnal knowledge and attempted rape of two girls, and a further 31 charges of indecent assault involving them and two other girls, all of them under 15 years of age at the time.
The man told Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC (with Ms Iseult O'Malley), defending, he would not have been able to interfere with anyone when he was working at the radio station as the place was chaotic and it was impossible even to have a conversation with someone.
He said before the station he was working in an electrical shop and did not return home until after 6pm.
He knew children were playing in his garage and on swing sets in his garden as his wife told him she had given them bread and jam.
The accused said the four complainants would come to his house with groups of other children from the area but denied he had ever abused any of them.
One of these girls was treated like a daughter by his second wife and was taken to restaurants and outings with his family.
He first heard about the allegations after he had returned from holidays and was met at the airport by a member of his staff who told him there was no longer a radio station and that most of the staff had left.
He said he did not know how he could have been accused of something like that but when he found out his staff had another radio station running, which had been organised long before he went on holidays, he realised it was an attempt to blacken his name and ruin his career.
His radio station was ransacked and equipment and the transmitter were destroyed but he managed to get it back on air within a couple of days.
The accused also told Mr O'Carroll his first wife had died suddenly in the 1960's and he did not get over her death for another 20 years. He added his relationship with his second wife broke down after the radio station got going as he was spending all his time working for it.
The trial continues before Mr Justice John Quirke and a jury of nine men and three woman.
