Accused has 'no explanation' for not noticing victim 'naked and hysterical'

A man accused of raping a woman in a Dublin hotel bathroom has said "no explanation" for how he failed to notice the complainant leaving the bedroom "naked and hysterical" while he was still inside it.

The 54-year-old Englishman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was under continued cross-examination on day 10 of this trial at the Central Criminal Court for allegedly raping the woman he had met earlier in a pub,

He told prosecuting counsel, Ms Pauline Walley SC, that he had "believed 100%" he had left the room first until he saw CCTV footage showing two distressed women leaving it before he did.

He told Ms Walley: "I can not explain it," when she asked how he could have failed to notice the "naked and hysterical" complainant leaving the room while he was still inside.

He rejected a suggestion by Ms Walley (with Ms Mary Rose Gearty BL), that there "was only one explanation for something as truly awful as that".

He told Ms Walley: "I don't want to be telling lies in this court, I want to tell the truth."

He has pleaded not guilty to rape, oral rape and sexual assault of the woman on March 20, 2007 and not guilty to threatening to kill her and threatening her that he would kill her sleeping friend.

He has pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, causing her harm on the same occasion.

The trial is now in its closing stages before Mr Justice George Birmingham and a jury of five men and seven women.