Alleged rape victim has ‘no complaint’ with man who took her home

A Belfast student who claims she was raped by Ireland and Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding has told Laganside Crown Court that she has “no complaint” against another defendant in the case.

Before the court are Mr Jackson (26), of Oakleigh Park, Belfast who is charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault and of Mr Olding (24), of Ardenlee Street, Belfast, who is charged with one count of rape.

Blane McIlroy (26), of Royal Lodge Road, Ballydollaghan, Belfast, is accused of one count of exposure. Rory Harrison (25), from Manse Road, Belfast, is charged with perverting the course of justice and withholding information.

They all deny the charges with Mr Jackson and Mr Olding contending that the sex was consensual. The offences allegedly happened in the early hours of June 28th, 2016.

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On Thursday Mr Harrison’s lawyer, Gavan Duffy QC, questioned the complainant about Mr Harrison’s role in the alleged assaults.

This was the sixth day she gave evidence in the trial which is expected to last five weeks.

The complainant agreed with the lawyer that she remembered some parts of the night of the alleged assaults while other parts were “hazy”.

During the course of the trial the court heard that shortly before 5am on the morning of June 28th, 2016 that Mr Harrison brought the complainant back to her home in a taxi.

Mr Duffy put it to the witness that previously the court heard her stating that Mr Harrison was “really good” and that he did “absolutely nothing wrong”.

“I agree with that,” said the witness.

“I have no complaint with him. He took me home and I am grateful for that,” she added.

She said that Mr Harrison would not have witnessed anything of the alleged rape in Mr Jackson’s bedroom although he would have seen her in an “extremely distressed state”.

She agreed that when he accompanied her home in the taxi that he comforted her, that at her house he checked with her that there was someone at home and gave her a hug before getting back into the taxi.

The complainant also agreed that at her request he told her the Christian name of the third defendant, Blane McIlroy. That was the only reason she knew Mr McIlroy’s name, she told the court.

Asked was there “no suggestion” that he was reluctant or unwilling to impart this information she replied, “Yeah, I believe so.”

Mr Duffy also referred to texts that Mr Harrison and the witness exchanged the morning after the alleged rape. In one she told him that while she knew he was a friend of Mr Jackson and Mr Olding that what happened in the bedroom was non-consensual.

His text response was, “Jesus!”

In another text he wrote, “I am not sure what to say.”

Mr Duffy put it to the witness that these texts indicated his surprise at receiving this information.

“It would seem that way, yes,” she replied.

Mr Duffy also referred to the first time Mr Jackson and the complainant were in Mr Jackson’s room which was before the alleged rape but when she said they engaged at Mr Jackson’s instigation in consensual kissing.

The witness was not sure under what circumstances she entered the room on that occasion. Mr Duffy said it had to be one of three possibilities: they walked together into the room; that she went ahead and Mr Jackson followed her; or Mr Jackson went up first and she followed him.

Mr Duffy said Mr Harrison would say that Mr Jackson first went to the room and that she followed him.

The witness could not remember the circumstances but agreed that Mr Harrison could be right.

Further questioned about Mr Harrison’s account she said, “He could well be right about that but he is also sitting in the dock”.

Mr Duffy also said that Mr Harrison would say that earlier in the living room he saw the complainant looking or staring at Mr Jackson.

“I do not recall ever staring at Mr Jackson,” she said.

The complainant disagreed with Mr Duffy when he said that Mr Harrison saw her coming down the stairs of the house as he was going to say goodbye to Mr Jackson in his bedroom.

She said the only time she saw him in such circumstances was after the alleged rape after she returned to the house and went up the stairs to retrieve her phone from Mr Jackson’s bedroom so she could call for a taxi. She said when she ran down the stairs with her mobile phone he came out of the house after her.

“I don’t remember seeing him on the stairs at all,” she said.

Judge Patricia Smyth told the jury of nine men and three women that cross examination of the complainant would resume on Monday.