A Dublin man has denied there was anything untoward in taking what his counsel called a "suspicious" route back to a young American tourist's hotel from his south county home.
He told the jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he now realised that taking the route he did from his home in Dalkey to Wynn's Hotel in the city centre was "the most irrational thing" he had ever done in his life.
The 31-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault causing harm on the woman on July 29th, 1999.
She has told the jury she escaped from his car as he was driving her up the Dublin mountains instead of to Wynn's Hotel.
The accused said in evidence that he met the woman in a Temple Bar pub and later they moved on to a disco where they kissed for a while. When they left he suggested they go for a coffee and she agreed. He began to drive her to his Dalkey home and after 25 minutes she became slightly uncomfortable when she realised they were driving out of the city centre.
He said she agreed to come inside where they kissed. However, she pushed him away when he tried to make further advances.
He asked her to stay longer but she ran to the door and started to scream. "I got an awful shock and tried to calm her down before taking her out to my car."
He denied "sneakily" locking her door and said he drove a strange route because if he stuck to the main roads, he could be caught drink-driving, an offence he was charged with in 1992 but got off on a technicality.
The trial continues.