Jury told that man drove teenage girl to wooded area before sexually assaulting her

A jury has been told that an Offaly man abducted a 14-year-old girl in his car and drove her to a wooded area, where she claims he sexually assaulted her.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr Paul Coffey SC (with Ms Dara Foynes BL), said the complainant would tell how the accused kidnapped her by pulling her back into his car by her hair when she tried to get out of it.

The 45-year-old man has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to three charges of false imprisonment, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault in County Offaly on November 6, 2000.

Mr Coffey told the jury in his introduction that the previous evening the complainant's boyfriend got a mobile phone call from the then-35-year-old accused inviting them to join him in a pub. They did that and moved then to another pub where the three of them and another man who was in the company left at closing time.

The woman's boyfriend was driving the accused's car at his request and when they stopped outside the fourth person's home to get something, the accused immediately moved into the driver's seat.

Mr Coffey said the woman would give evidence that she tried to get out of the car to join her boyfriend but was stopped by the accused, who began to drive off.

"She will tell you that, as the car began to move, she was pulled back in literally by her hair," counsel said.

Mr Coffey said the evidence would be that the accused drove to a wooded area where the then teenage girl's clothes were removed "down to her socks" and he sexually assaulted her.

The accused then drove her back to her boyfriend's home and she noted the time on the car's clock was 3.28am. Counsel said her boyfriend would describe her demeanour and appearance.

The hearing continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of four women and eight men.