Teen (16) tells gardaí rape allegations were 'false' and the 'biggest lie'

Eimear Dodd

A teenage boy accused of the rape of his girlfriend told gardaí that the allegations were “false” and the “biggest lie”.

The now 16-year-old accused pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to three charges of oral rape and one of rape of the then 13-year-old girl on dates between June and July 2023.

The incidents are alleged to have occurred in a Co Galway housing estate where both children were living with their families. The accused was 14 years old at the time.

The court heard on Thursday that the boy was interviewed by gardaí by arrangement in February 2024, when he was 15, with his mother and solicitor present.

A memo of his garda interview was read to the court. He told gardaí that he and the girl added each other on Snapchat several months before they first talked.

He said they met on occasion, and she then started going out with his friend.

The boy said the complainant texted him after she and his friend broke up, and a short time later, they started to meet up. He said they had kissed.

He said they dated for a month before the girl texted him to break up. She then blocked him online, which “confused him”, he said.

The boy told gardaí he “never” asked the girl for sex and denied all of the allegations. Later in the interview, he said he was “really surprised and shocked” by the allegation that he raped the girl.

When an extract from the girl's statement about the alleged oral rapes was read to him, the accused replied, “No way, I'd never do such a thing, that’s disgusting”.

Later, he told gardaí that he “didn't know how to respond” to the allegations that he orally raped the girl, describing them as the “biggest lie or bullshit”.

He said he had “no clue” why the girl would say these things. When asked if he ever had sex with the girl, the boy replied, “No, never, and I never plan to”.

Other extracts from the girl's statement were read to the boy, and he denied the allegations. “False, all false, I can’t relate to any of it,” he said.

The boy accepted he had pinched the girl, but “not in a hard way”, and said she'd pinch him as well. He also denied giving the girl bruises or biting her breast.

An investigating garda told John Berry SC, defending, that the boy answered all questions put to him during the interview.

A forensic examiner from a specialist child and adolescent sexual assault treatment unit gave evidence about an examination of the girl conducted in early July 2023.

She said she was informed by gardaí that the alleged incidents took place in mid-June, outside the seven-day timeframe for an urgent appointment.

Forensic examiner

During cross-examination, she said the girl advised her that the alleged incidents happened in late June.

The forensic examiner added that it had taken some time to confirm dates with the girl, who was “tearful” and finding it difficult to talk about the alleged incidents.

Mr Berry asked the forensic examiner what she would have done if she'd been advised the alleged incidents could have happened within the seven-day window. The witness said an urgent appointment would have been arranged for the girl.

Outlining her findings, the forensic examiner said tests showed the girl is more susceptible to bruising. “More than 20 bruises” were noted on the girl's body, some of which were accidental.

Bruises were noted on the girl's breasts, inner thighs and genital area. The forensic examiner said in her professional opinion, a localised bruise to the girl's genital area was “consistent” with the report of “painful digital and vaginal penetration”.

She said in her professional opinion, a bruise on the girl's breast was “consistent” with the complainant's report that the boy had bitten her through her clothing.

The witness said the inner thighs aren't a “typical” site for accidental bruising and that small circular bruises to the girl's inner thighs were “highly suspicious” in the context of an alleged sexual assault.

During cross-examination, the witness said she had “not anticipated” seeing injuries during the examination, describing it as “unusual”, as this examination took place outside the seven-day window for an urgent appointment.

She told Ms Rowland during re-examination that bruising in the genital area of a young person generally doesn't persist for longer than three to seven days.

She noted that it is “very unusual to have persistent bruising” in the genital area, as this area tends to heal quickly. She added that intimate bruising can take up to 34 days to heal.

The witness told Mr Berry in cross-examination that it is not possible to age a bruise.

A friend of the complainant gave evidence that the girl told her that the accused boy had put his penis in her vagina.

The witness said the complainant also told her the boy “pinched her a good few times” and that “he made her suck his penis”.

The girl was crying while telling her, the witness told the court.

She said the complainant asked her what she would do if it were her, and she replied that she would tell her mother. She told the court the girl said she was going to tell her mother.

The witness said she was aware that the boy and the complainant had been going out, and that she had met him “once or twice”.

She noticed the boy would pinch the complainant on her arms and legs. When asked by Ms Rowland if this was playful behaviour, she replied that it “didn't seem playful”.

In cross-examination, the witness agreed with Mr Berry that the girl also told her this was the first time the alleged behaviour had happened.

The witness also said the girl told her she was going to counselling, but didn't talk about it.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McGrath and a 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.