Woman denies telling lies about alleged rape by garda sergeant

The woman who claims a garda sergeant raped her has denied she told lies about the alleged incident and that she drank more than…

The woman who claims a garda sergeant raped her has denied she told lies about the alleged incident and that she drank more than she admitted that night.

During cross-examination she denied a suggestion by defence counsel, Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, that she had lied to a doctor when she said she had washed all her clothes some hours later and in her earlier evidence that she had drunk five pints of Guinness in a pub.

"You are getting me risen now. Give me time to cool down," she replied when Mr O'Higgins said that bar staff would give evidence that she drank 10 or 11 pints before the alleged rape.

A witness would also say that she did not seem to be drunk, counsel told her.

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Mr O'Higgins also told the woman there would be evidence from the accused's wife that she heard them engaged in friendly "banter" when they went to his house in the early hours of the morning before he drove her home. Counsel said that the accused's wife would also tell the jury she would have come down to the kitchen instantly if she had heard anything that indicated the woman was in distress.

Mr O'Higgins added that the post office worker and a barwoman to whom the complainant spoke the next day also told gardaí she was in good spirits.

The now 25-year-old woman agreed with Mr O'Higgins that according to a statement made to gardaí by a girlfriend whom she asked to organise the "morning-after-pill" for her, she hadn't mentioned the word "rape" but indicated she had a sexual encounter with the accused.

She also agreed that she had at first made a decision not to do anything about the alleged rape and had told her girlfriend this was to protect her own family.

Mr O'Higgins noted that the doctor's notes recorded her as claiming she didn't want to report the incident because it involved a garda.

Pressed by Mr O'Higgins about the first use of the word "rape" in her statements and asked by counsel if "someone put those words into your mouth", she replied: "Jesus Christ no." It was day three of the trial of the 55-year-old accused who denies raping and sexually assaulting her on June 21st, 2000.

The complainant told Mr O'Higgins she didn't bring her laundry home to be done because there were facilities for that where she worked, but she washed her trousers the next morning when she saw semen stains on them and put the rest of her clothes into her work bag.

She denied this was what counsel called "a deliberate act of concealment".

She didn't want anyone at home to know about it and just wanted to "black this out" of her mind. Looking for the morning-after-pill was also to help put it out of her mind.

She denied in further cross-examination that she had been tying to "lay a false trail" by saying to a doctor that she had washed all her clothes. She couldn't remember all she had said to the doctor. "I didn't have any purpose in mind," she added.

Mr O'Higgins asked her to comment on photographs produced by the defence which contradicted her evidence that the accused had dark, hairy legs.

She said she didn't recall the accused giving her a purported diet sheet which she had given to gardaí investigating her allegation. She told the gardaí someone in the pub had taken it from his right jeans pocket and told her she should "lay-off" Guinness if she wanted to lose weight.

Mr O'Higgins told her the accused would tell the jury the diet sheet was in his handwriting and that he had given it to her. She said she couldn't be sure if the level of alcohol she had consumed that night was the reason she couldn't be more certain about this, as counsel suggested.

Dr Maureen Howie said the woman became upset after asking for the morning-after pill in a Derry clinic and said: "I didn't want it to happen."

Dr Howie told prosecuting counsel, Ms Deirdre Murphy SC, that she asked the woman "Did someone force you?" and she replied she had been raped.

She added she was afraid to report it as it was a friend of the family and a member of An Garda Síochána.

She told the woman that if a crime had been committed she should report it.