Sexual assault trial hears fifth complainant was too embarrassed to report abuse

By Sonya McLean

A man who alleges he was sexually assaulted by his teacher as an 18-year-old has told a jury that he didn’t report the incident at the time because he was “too embarrassed”.

The 59-year-old accused man, who can't be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to the one count of sexual assault that he faces in relation to this complainant.

The fifth complainant in the case, now 47, told Anne-Marie Lawlor SC, prosecuting, that he told his friend about an incident in the toilets of a pub with the accused. The man had previously told the jury that the accused man was “masturbating into my hand” during this incident.

The accused then pinned him against a wall, and he told the jury there may have been a kiss on his neck or cheek.

On Wednesday he told Ms Lawlor, as he continued his direct evidence, that he told his friend, one night when he had “a free house” - as his parents were away.

He said he and the two other teenagers had drunk a bottle of whiskey between them and his friends stayed over.

He said he told one of his friends that night about what had happened in the toilet with the accused.

“Yeah I told him that I was pinned up against the wall and his [the accused’s] penis was erect,” the complainant said.

When asked by Ms Lawlor if he had ever encountered or engaged with the accused again after the alleged sexual assault, he replied “no”.

“I was finished in that school so there was no more interaction with him,” he said.

He was asked by counsel why he did not alert gardaí to the incident at the time in the summer of 1995 as an 18-year-old.

He said he asked himself had “I put myself in that position” and he thought to himself “why was I in the toilet in the first place?”

“Looking back on you think it (the alleged sexual assault) was totally wrong. I was also moving on with my life and I had nothing to do with him. I was embarrassed,” he said.

When asked by Ms Lawlor if the incident with the accused had an impact on him, he replied that after “the event there was a wall around me”.

He said he would never let people get close to him and there was hardness about him. “I know it myself. I have tried to work on it myself with my kids,” the man said.

“There was a relationship with a teacher I had,” he said, referring to the incident with the accused, “and you trust in them.”

“I am a teacher myself, so I know how relationships are and how kids need to be guided…. so, it was wrong,” the complainant said.

He said he became aware years later that there was a garda investigation and he made a statement to gardaí.

The accused man has pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault in relation to six complainants on dates between March 1991 and November 1997 at locations in Co Dublin.

The man was in his 30s at the time of the alleged offences, while the six complainants were then aged between 17 and 24.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and the jury.

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.