GAA star cleared of assaulting woman
Mr Quill, 20, of Ashgrove, Ballyvelly, Tralee, a student at Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick, will line out with his club, Kerins O’Rahillys, in the Kerry county senior football championship final against Kilcummin, at Killarney, on Sunday.
Members of his family and friends, who were in the public gallery for the two-day trial at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, wept and shook hands when the jury brought in the verdict after being out for less than two hours.
Mr Quill, who had been charged with assaulting Orlaith Cussen, 24, causing her harm, at her home in Friary Downes, Killarney, on September 3, 2001, declined to comment to
reporters on leaving the courthouse.
Ms Cussen looked shocked and was visibly upset on hearing the verdict and left the courtroom immediately.
In her evidence, Ms Cussen, a duty manager at Killarney Park Hotel at the time of the alleged offence, claimed the assault occurred in her bedroom.
She had allowed Mr Quill to accompany her home from a nightclub and let him share her single bed when they found someone else sleeping on a couch.
She claimed that he slapped her on the face six or seven times after she had rejected his sexual advances, pushed her around, that he was in a rage and that she thought he was going to try to rape her.
In a statement presented in evidence at the trial before Judge Seán O’Leary yesterday, Eleanor Johnson gave evidence of examining Ms Cussen later on the day of the alleged assault.
Dr Johnson said Ms Cussen complained of feeling unwell, and was distressed and crying, but did not believe sexual intercourse had taken place.
She said Ms Cussen had no cuts or abrasion, but had bruising on her left ear, a left front tooth was tender and loose, and some of her finger nails were broken.
She also had bruises over her left eye and her chest and pelvic areas.
Mr Quill told the court that he consumed about eight bottles of cider after returning to Kerry after the match.
He met Ms Cussen in the Crypt nightclub, Killarney. She approached him and they got on very well, hugging, kissing and having a laugh.
He said that, at the end of the night in the disco, she offered him a place to stay and they headed off for her house, holding hands and kissing.
On arriving at the house, he took off his shoes, she led the way up the stairs and showed him into the bedroom.
Mr Quill said he went into bed in his boxer shorts and she then got into bed beside him in her pyjamas.
They started hugging and kissing. He started rubbing her thigh and her leg, but denied putting his hand inside her clothing.
“She said she wasn’t that kind of girl and I said that’s fine so,” Mr Quill told defending barrister John O’Sullivan.
They both fell asleep and he woke to find Lynn Blennerhassett, who shared the house with Ms Cussen, and Ms Cussen, standing beside the bed.
They asked him to leave the house and he did so about 3.20am.
Cross-examined by prosecuting barrister, David Sutton, Mr Quill agreed he had a fair bit to drink, but was not “falling around the place” drunk.
He also agreed that he wanted to have sex with Ms Cussen.
When it was put to him by Mr Sutton that the signs did not look good as Ms Cussen was fully clothed, he replied: “When a girl approaches you in a nightclub, brings you to her home, shows you to her room and gets into bed alongside you, that’s only an indication for me anyway.”
Mr Quill claimed he treated Ms Cussen with respect at all times.
He completely denied hitting her, or assaulting her in any way.
Mr Sutton pointed out that witnesses gave evidence that Ms Cussen was bleeding and crying hysterically.
Mr Quill accepted that she had
injuries, but he did not know how she got the injuries and could see no marks on her when he was leaving the house.
“Did she fall after you leaving the house, or something?” Mr Sutton said.
Mr Quill replied: “Perhaps.”
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