Complainant in rape case denies she invited four men to her bedroom for sex
Sonya McLean
A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by four men has denied a suggestion that the reason she invited the men upstairs to her bedroom is because she had agreed to have sex with them.
Four men, who have addresses in Dublin, are alleged to have raped and sexually assaulted the woman at her home between December 8th and 9th, 2018.
Reporting restrictions apply to the identity of all participants in the trial.
The first accused, aged 25, has pleaded not guilty to oral rape and sexual assault.
The second accused, also aged 25, has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault. The third accused, aged 23, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, one oral rape and a sexual assault.
The fourth accused, aged 24, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and sexual assault.
The now 24-year-old woman has previously told the jury that she had invited the first accused down to her home the night of the alleged rape because her mother and sister were not home that night, and she was afraid to be on her own.
She told Anne Rowland SC prosecuting, at the beginning of the trial, that she had met the first accused through another friend and had been in a regular communication with him and had met up with him previously. He had also previously visited her at her home.
The woman said the first accused arrived to her home, and although she was only expecting him, there were three other men with him. She said she asked him what they were doing there.
The men came into the house and there was a discussion about “weed” and they asked if she had any drink.
She said her home tends to get cold downstairs so the group later moved upstairs where it was usually warmer.
On Monday, she agreed with Dominic McGinn SC, defending, there had been an exchange of messages between her and the first accused prior to him arriving at the house but refused to accept a suggestion that he had explained to her that he would be bringing friends.
She acknowledged that his client had asked her if she was “horny”, and he told her that he was going to “rally the box off ya”, referring to having sex with her, which she said she thought was a joke.
Mr McGinn suggested to the woman that she had chosen a particular outfit to wear that night “to greet him at the door” and she accepted that she did “take a little care” about what she wore. “Yes, I wanted to impress him,” she said.
“It didn’t cross your mind that sex would be on the cards?” counsel asked.
The woman replied that she didn’t know and added: “I did think he was messing, but I will admit that I did dress to impress him.”
She again refused to accept a suggestion, “that you knew full well that he was not coming down on his own”.
“No, I was not expecting four people,” the woman replied, but accepted that she did have alcohol in the house.
When asked by counsel why she allowed the other men into her home, the woman replied that she just wanted to make the first accused “happy”. She said she didn’t want him to leave because she didn’t want to be by herself.
She refused to accept a suggestion that she had invited the men upstairs because she had agreed to have sex with them.
“No,” the woman said.
The trial continues before Mr Justice David Keane and a jury of six men and six women.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
