Jury begins deliberations in Limerick torture and rape trial

The jury is to begin deliberating today in the trial of a Limerick man accused of torturing, raping and imprisoning his girlfriend over a seven-day period.

The nine-day trial at the Central Criminal Court heard the accused dragged the mother of his child into a car when he suspected she was seeing another man. The woman said she was beaten and taken to a house where she was kept against her will. Over the course of six days she was raped “countless times” including with a beer bottle, she said.

She alleged the man held her head under water in a basin until she started to drown and scalded her genitals with hot water. She said he also encouraged his friend to rape her.

Allegation

The woman said on the sixth day she was brought to another house where the accused went into a jealous rage and beat her with a shovel until it broke.

The defence admits the accused beat the woman once but says the other allegations are false. It says the sex was all consensual and the woman had many opportunities to leave the house if she had wanted to.

It has also pointed to evidence that the woman was happy with the man, such as her giving him a love bite during the alleged ordeal.

The 35-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of rape, two counts of false imprisonment and four counts of assault causing harm at various locations in Limerick between May 3rd and May 9th, 2012.

He has pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm and the jury has been ordered to return not guilty verdicts on two charges of sex assault which were not supported by the evidence.

The jury of six men and six women are expected to begin deliberations this morning.