Man accused of rape refuses to co-operate

A north Dublin man accused of rape has refused to continue giving evidence in his own defence and claimed the judge has prejudiced…

A north Dublin man accused of rape has refused to continue giving evidence in his own defence and claimed the judge has prejudiced the jury against him.

Mr Justice Herbert told the jury the accused was claiming that statements which had been read into evidence without challenge by the defence were actually "lies concocted by gardaí".

Earlier, Mr Paul Coffey SC, prosecuting, read into evidence informal interview notes and cautioned statements, signed by the accused on September 19th, 2001, which contained admissions by him that he had broken into the complainant's house and raped her.

The accused told the jury that he had been refused both a solicitor and a request for the interview to be video recorded. He said he believes gardaí set him up because he refused to help them "bring down a gang" in 2000.

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Mr Justice Herbert told the jury the accused man was now saying that all the documents are untrue fabrications, that the "distinguished and learned" senior counsel, Mr Blaise O'Carroll, and junior counsel, Mr Charles Corcoran, "let all of this rubbish be put to you without question.

"Mr O'Carroll and Mr Corcoran, being fine lawyers, are prepared to go on with this case and I will permit them to go on. The accused is suggesting that the gardaí are liars, blackguards, perjurers and cheats."

He said he was grateful to the defence team for continuing.

When the accused retook the witness stand he said: "The judge is putting me on to be a liar. I don't think I have a chance after what the judge said. I have my reasons for letting the memos be read out. I can prove the gardaí stitched me up.

"I refuse to answer any more questions. I'll take it to the Supreme Court. The judge can't stand up in a box and call a man a liar."

He has pleaded not guilty to raping and falsely imprisoning a woman in her west Dublin home in the early morning of August 24th, 2001, and to burglary of the house and theft of a mobile phone and cash on the same occasion.