Accused denies two counts of raping girl, 13, in toilet

A 13-YEAR-OLD girl who claimed she was raped by a 21-year-old man texted him afterwards not to tell anyone and she said he texted back: “Nobody needs to know. We can still meet up. Ha.”

That was the evidence given by the girl, now 17, who testified in a trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork that she was raped twice in the toilet of a flat when she was aged 13 on a Saturday afternoon in May 2008. A 24-year-old man, who was 21 at the time of the alleged incident, denies two counts of raping her.

The teenager testified that, after the alleged incident: “I was told by someone who raped me not to say nothing. I was bawling crying. [The accused] smiled at me and I ran into a bedroom. When something like that happens you feel hurt, you feel violated, you want to curl up in a ball. I was shocked, I had a threat put on me that night.”

She said that later that same evening she texted the accused from her friend’s phone and stated: “You better not tell anyone what happened.” She said he texted back: “Nobody needs to know. We can still meet up. Ha.” She texted back: “You are sick, boy.”

Marjorie Farrelly, prosecution SC, said, a number of males and females, including the complainant and defendant, met at lunchtime that day and a plan was made to go drinking in the flat, and they all put money in for drink.

The complainant said she drank half a flagon of cider but stopped because she did not like it. She said the accused gave her one bottle of beer after another until she had had five bottles.

She went to the bathroom and sat on the toilet. It was not possible to lock the door and she could not reach it to prevent the door opening as the accused came in.

She said she pulled up her jeans and the accused pulled them down and put down his own pants. She said he raped her and forced her to perform oral sex.

The girl denied under cross-examination by Tom Creed, for the defence, that she was the one who went into the bathroom when the accused was there. She also said: “I am here today because I want to prove justice for myself. Every day I am frightened. I had depression. I had to go to counsellors every week. I had so much anger inside myself. I was happy before this; my life went downhill after what happened.”

The case continues today.