Woman in rape and battery case retracts statement after intimidation

A woman who retracted a statement she made to gardaí alleging she was raped 43 times was subjected to systematic intimidation so that her alleged assailant could get bail, Limerick District Court heard.

The state objected to the 33-year-old accused, who has a child with the woman, getting bail.

In a 30-page statement to gardaí on May 10, the woman gave a detailed account of how she had been abducted from a taxi in the city on May 3 last and held at a number of addresses until May 9.

During that time, she alleged how she had been continually raped by the accused, falsely imprisoned and beaten. A shovel was used in one alleged attack.

When the accused applied for bail yesterday, the woman gave sworn evidence supporting his application for bail.

Previously, when the accused unsuccessfully sought bail in the High Court, the alleged victim gave evidence supporting the State’s application to refuse him bail.

State witnesses told Judge Eugene O’Kelly the woman was subjected to intimidation to give this evidence

The woman said she did not know what she was saying at the time of her May 10 statement because of drugs and it was all lies.

Det Garda Pat Whelan said he was at Limerick District Court on other matters on Sept 4, when the accused was appearing in custody on remand. He said he was approached by a close friend of the alleged victim who told him of massive pressure being put on the woman by the accused man’s extended family.

This person informed him the alleged victim was told to be in court for yesterday’s bail hearing. She was also instructed to tell the court what she had said in her statement was all lies. She was told to sit near the accused when he was brought into the custody area.

The accused man’s parents also had the child the alleged victim had with the accused, and Det Whelan said this was also being used as “a stick to beat her”.

Det Garda Keith Harmon gave evidence of phone transcripts between the accused and his father while he was on remand in Limerick prison. In one phone call on May 17, the accused was heard telling his father to “camp outside the door” of the house where the alleged victim was staying and to “put the foot down”.

Det Garda Harmon said they had extremely strong corroborative evidence to support what the alleged victim had stated in her statement.

He alleged the woman had been so badly beaten with a shovel she was almost on her hands and knees when they got her to the garda station.

Judge O’Kelly said in the phone transcripts was a clear instruction by the accused to intimidate and contact the alleged, injured party. He also accepted the strong concern conveyed to Det Garda Whelan.

He refused bail and remanded the accused in custody to the same court on Sept 24.