Irishwoman on trial for raping woman in Brisbane

A JURY has retired to determine whether a woman was raped by an Irish- woman at popular Brisbane nightspot last year.

Brisbane District Court has heard Irish national Anne-Marie O’Loughlin is accused of attacking a 34-year-old woman in the female toilets of the Caxton Hotel in the early hours of November 29 last year.

O’Loughlin, 25, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, one count each of deprivation of liberty and sexual assault.

Judge David Reid instructed jurors to “put the issue of gender out of your minds” and work to determine the facts of the case.

He said the complainant, who cannot be named, gave evidence that while she had kissed O’Loughlin in the toilets for up to three minutes, she had not given consent for O’Loughlin to pull up her top and bra and touch her breast in the toilets.

The woman claimed she had not consented.

Judge Reid said while the woman conceded under cross-examination she had not screamed “no” or “don’t do that”, she said she had demonstrated she had not consented when she pushed O’Loughlin’s hands away, pulled up her jeans while O’Loughlin tried to pull them down and, at the end of the incident, yelling out for security.

He said O’Loughlin — in an interview with police — said she had no memory of kissing the woman but said it was possible.

She told detectives it was not in her nature to force someone against their will into sexual acts.

O’Loughlin’s lawyers argued the woman’s evidence cast doubt over whether the incident happened as she described, or if it was in fact consensual.

Judge Reid said O’Loughlin’s lawyers had also raised the possibility the woman had made a false complaint to police because she motivated by fear or remorse that her husband had learned of the incident.