A 19-year-old woman has been accused of alleging that a farmer raped her when she was 16 to get compensation from him. At the end of the cross-examination, she broke down in the witness box.
The allegation was made by Colm Smyth SC, defending, during her cross-examination on the second day of the farmer's trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Mr Smyth said he had a letter from her solicitor dated March 21st, 2006, which stated proceedings would be instituted in the High Court for assault and battery, sexual abuse and trespass of the body unless compensation was forthcoming from the accused. "You never mentioned rape in that letter," Mr Smyth said to her. She said her father contacted the solicitor on that issue.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton pointed out that rape was not part of tort law. The 56-year-old accused man pleads not guilty to raping and sexually assaulting the then 16-year-old schoolgirl on April 8th, 2004, in his 4x4 in Co Offaly. Mr Smith had told her that DNA evidence would show that his semen was not found in her, despite her claims. "It was all over my tracksuit and my thong. He raped me. I felt he raped me."
Mr Smyth suggested to her that she was lying back in a manner that was aimed at sexually arousing him. "Why would I do that?" she replied. "I was 16 years of age and he was 52. I wasn't asking for anything. I wasn't lying back in a sexual manner."