Radio personality tells court of his protests against abuse
The radio personality accused of sexually molesting four young girls has told a Central Criminal Court Jury he was involved in protesting against clerical and child sex abuse.
The man told prosecuting counsel, Mr Patrick J McCarthy SC (with Ms Isobel Kennedy BL), during cross-examination, he became involved because his wife had been abused by a priest when she was in care.
He said priests had a lot of power in those days as people looked up to them and he did not like any abuse of power.
He denied Mr McCarthy's suggestion he had any power over the girls he allegedly abused and said his own children always made their own decisions.
The now 66-year-old man 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.
He told Mr McCarthy that one of the girls had alleged something had happened at a disused vehicle at the radio station but they were interrupted by his son. He said if this had happened the girl should be able to give some details about the inside of the vehicle.
The accused agreed with Mr McCarthy that he had said nothing had happened but he wanted some details about the vehicle to "test the truth".
He also agreed he sent a 10-year-old girl flowers, a card and a ring for Valentine's Day but said it was an innocent act. He said he also sent his son a card on Valentine's Day.
He denied he had signed the card "Jennifer and Nicola" and that those were the names he had agreed with the girl would be the names of the children they would have together. He said he was just "fortunate" he had not chosen those names for any of his own children.
He said he remembered having an argument with an usher at the Carlton Cinema when he took some children to see a Ghostbusters film but could not remember what caused the incident.
Mr McCarthy said he had told the gardai the usher claimed another customer told her they (accused and one of the complainants) had been engaging in "inappropriate behaviour".
The accused said he had been sitting far away from the girl so whoever had said that had gotten things completely wrong.
The accused denied Mr McCarthy's suggestion that he had selective memory if he could remember what the film was they went to see but not the incident which caused the argument with the usher.
He agreed with Mr McCarthy there were many similarities between the four girls' allegations and that there was no obvious connection between the two sisters and the two other girls.
The accused claimed that the two sisters were supporting each other and that the other two girls were friends so they were supporting each other in their allegations against him.
He said the girl that made the tape recording at the radio station had asked the fourth girl, her friend, to back up her allegations. He did not agree with Mr McCarthy that this was asking a lot from a friend and was a "farcical and ludicrous situation".
The trial will continue on Monday before Mr Justice John Quirke and a jury of nine men and three women.
