Man accused of rape tells gardaí he 'lost the plot'

A man accused of raping his pregnant ex-partner told gardaí that he "lost the plot" and hit the woman in the face after asking her about a relationship he believed she had been in while they were going out together.

Detective Garda TJ Molloy told Ms Pauline Walley SC, prosecuting, that the 43-year-old denied raping the woman, hitting her with a shot gun and threatening to harm her friends as the complainant had earlier testified in the trial.

The accused told gardaí that, after he struck, the woman it was "like I came to and woke up in a bad dream. I couldn't believe what I had done".

He said he had "just remembered a feeling of shame" and immediately told his ex-partner that he wished he had never done it.

He claimed that she had told him it was "ok" and when he had remarked on her injuries, including a cut lip, forehead and two broken teeth, she had had replied it was "only a chipped tooth".

The accused told gardai that he was very upset and there had been "a lot of kissing and making up". They cuddled for a long time and made love once.

When asked by gardaí if he had forced the woman to have sex, the accused replied "absolutely not".

He said he told her that night that he was going to kill himself because he could not live in a world without her or their son. He told her he was willing to do anything for her.

He told the gardaí that he was really upset during the entire ordeal. "There was a lot of tears. She said she did not really want to break up with me".

The accused has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to seven charges arising out of the alleged incident in the complainant's Clare home on September 9, 2007.

He denies three charges of rape, anal rape and oral rape of the woman, one charge each of falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill her, aggravated burglary using a single-action shotgun and unlawful possession of a firearm, all on the same occasion.

He has pleaded guilty to one charge of assaulting her on the same occasion, causing her harm.

The couple's local GP told Ms Walley that he had examined the complainant later that day in the garda station and although she told him that she had been raped by the accused, she asked him not to state that on her referral letter to the hospital.

He agreed with defence counsel Mr Michael Bowman BL (with Mr John Phelan SC), that the couple's relationship was not harmonious and the accused had concerns about the complainant drinking throughout her pregnancies.

He accepted that he had attended counselling sessions with them both where the accused appeared to be caring and compassionate towards the complainant and their unborn child.

The witness told Mr Bowman that he had treated the accused for depression and the man had had episodes of self harm.

He further accepted that the accused had complained to him that his ex-partner had been aggressive towards him.

The witness told Ms Walley in re-examination that there was "a possibility" that the accused had obsessive tendencies towards the complainant but added that he was not an expert in this field.

Doctor John O'Brien told Ms Walley that the complainant bore no physical injuries consistent with forced sexual intercourse.

He said that he had examined her the night of the alleged incident and that she was 22 to 23 weeks pregnant at the time.

She had various facial injuries, including a cut over her left eye for which she had earlier received stitches in accident and emergency, bruising over her right eye and over her upper lip, tenderness over her ear and her two front teeth were broken.

The hearing continues before Mr Justice Barry White and the jury of five women and seven men.