Farmer invited girl for beer after alleged rape, court hears

An Offaly teenager has told the Central Criminal Court that after a local farmer raped her in a field he asked her would they "stay for more or go on the beer".

She said that when he drove her back to a town, he said to her: "I didn't see you and you didn't see me."

The 56-year-old accused pleads not guilty to raping and sexually assaulting the then 16-year-old schoolgirl on April 8, 2004.

The complainant told prosecuting counsel, Mr Thomas Creed SC (with Ms Dara Foynes BL) that during her Easter school holiday of 2004 she met the accused in his farmyard and he said to her "How's me ould pet" before he asked her to take a spin with him in his jeep to see the cattle.

The then transition year student said that there was nothing unusual in her accepting a lift from the farmer because she knew him all her life as he lived up the road from her.

She said she agreed to get into the back of his commercial jeep because he had told her that he didn't want the 'boys' to see him.

Together they drove out the countryside and she transferred into the passenger seat of the jeep. They came to a field and the farmer got out and opened the gate and drove across the field.

The complainant told the jury of eight men and four women that she started to get anxious at this stage. "I started to get worried because I didn't see any cattle in the field," she said.

"He (the accused) stopped the jeep under some trees and he started to kiss me. He put his hand up my top and started feeling my breasts.

"He pushed back the seat lever, pulled down his trousers and his underpants and climbed on top of me," she said. "He opened the tie on my tracksuit and put his hand inside.

"I kept telling him to stop. I had a mobile phone in my right hand and I was trying to hold up my tracksuit with my left hand. He just kept saying 'It's going to be all right'. He then penetrated me."

She told Mr Creed that after he ejaculated, the accused said to her: "Will we stay for more or will we go on the beer?"

She said she replied that she wanted to go home. The farmer drove back to an Offaly town and when she was getting out of the car he said to her: "I didn't see you and you didn't see me."