Mother encouraged alleged victim to make up rape accusations, man claims
A Cork man accused of raping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl has claimed the girl’s mother “put her up to the accusations.”
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to three counts of raping the girl on dates between February 29 and September 4, 2004 at two addresses in Cork.
He has also pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting the girl on dates between February 14 and December 1, 2004 at two Cork addresses and in a car.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Paul Carney directed the jury on day-two of the trial to find the man not guilty on two further counts of sexual assault.
The man told Ms Mary Rose Gearty SC, prosecuting, that he had fallen out with the girl’s mother.
“After that, she (the girl’s mother) told my parents that she wanted me out of the house so that is why I believe her mother put me up to this,” the defendant said under cross-examination.
He claimed there was no other reason why the complainant would make the allegations.
He explained that the girl had stayed over night “loads of times” as she helped his girlfriend babysit his son when he was at work.
He agreed with Ms Gearty that he got “on well” with the complainant and that after she had a fight with her mother she stayed with him and his girlfriend for a while in their spare room.
He described the complainant as being “a bit dizzy” and that she was “smoking and drinking”.
He denied the allegations and said if he was given “specific dates of the allegations” he could have checked his work rota to see if he was working the night shift.
He told Mr Tim O’Leary SC, defending, that the allegations “definitely did not happen”.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Carney and a jury of six men and six women.
