Accused ‘struck woman but did not rape her’

The man accused of raping his partner at his home in Cork might be a despicable person for striking her but he did not rape her, his lawyer claimed in his closing speech at the trial yesterday.

The accused, aged 49, also gave evidence yesterday. “I am nearly 50 years of age, I have had girlfriends, I never had to force any woman into sex. You get the list of them up here, get on to them all and see what complaint is there,” he said.

The defendant denied a charge of raping her at his home in Cork on May 9, 2012. He admitted a charge of assault causing harm to her on the same date.