A 13 YEAR OLD Monaghan girl told her father's incest trial in the Central Criminal Court yesterday that she would not name the man who had done "bad things" to her even if she was questioned all day.
She agreed that the "bad things" had hurt the lower parts of her body which are covered by clothes and that a man had told her to take this clothing off. She declined to name the person or to describe the "bad things" to the court.
In reply to Mr Joseph Mathews SC, prosecuting, the girl agreed that she would not reveal the man's name even if questioning on the matter continued for an entire day.
She was giving evidence, via video link, on the second day of "her father's trial. He has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of rape, unlawful carnal knowledge, buggery and sexual assault of the girl between 1987 and 1991, when she was aged between five and nine. He also denies two charges of buggery and indecent assault of his son, now 14, on dates between 1988 and 1990.
The girl agreed that "bad things" had happened to her and made her "sad" when her father lived in the family home. These things did not happen when he did not live at home, she said.
She repeated her earlier statement that she did not want her father to return home, but again remained silent when asked for her reasons.
Asked whether, as a child, she had loved her father, she said she had not, but she agreed that she loved her mother. Asked why she had loved her mother and not her father, she did not reply.
For over an hour the girl replied to many of Mr Mathews's questions with "Yes" or "No" and remained silent for others.
Mr Justice Geoghegan asked the jury to retire to allow legal argument in its absence.
The hearing continues.