Man says he had 'no recollection' of rape

A man accused of kidnap and rape after a drugs and alcohol party has told a jury he had "no recollection" of these matters but…

A man accused of kidnap and rape after a drugs and alcohol party has told a jury he had "no recollection" of these matters but agreed he remembered assaulting the woman who was naked.

The 46-year-old accused, who has pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault and assault causing harm to the victim, said in reply to Mr Tom O'Connell SC prosecuting (with Mr Garnet Orange), that he had changed his plea on these charges after talking to a priest.

He repeated several times that he had "no recollection" of raping her and of cutting her vagina with a knife among other points put to him in cross-examination and agreed with Mr O'Connell he could not refute her claims made in what counsel called "her very harrowing evidence".

He agreed he "told lies" to his own legal team causing her to be cross-examined on the basis that she said to him she fell asleep with another man, woke up naked to find this man "gone with her hash", and that she then attacked the accused with a knife.

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"All that was false," he said and agreed with Mr O'Connell that he made up these claims after reading her statements because he wanted the jury to bring in a not guilty verdict.

"I lied because I was dishonourable," he said but said he changed that part of his instructions to his legal team some days after the trial opened after a priest advised him to tell the truth.

It was day-eight of his continuing trial at the Central Criminal Court for falsely imprisoning and raping the woman in his south Louth home on November 8th, 2003.

The trial continues on Monday.