Woman tells court she was raped with a broom

A woman has described to a jury how she recalled staring up at a Christmas tree while a man sexually assaulted her with a broom handle in a room with other people.

The woman, who revealed she had been drinking heavily at the time, said she remembered “a lot of shouting going on” from others and her fear and pain while she lay naked.

The 37-year-old man, who can not be named, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping her with an object by penetrating her anus and vagina with a broom in Kerry on Jan 7, 2011.