Sex assault accused says former partner was 'high maintenance'

A Wexford man accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting his former partner has told a court that the complainant was “high maintenance” and that he planned to leave her as he could not support her lifestyle any longer.

The accused man has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to aggravated sexual assault, oral rape and false imprisonment of the woman on August 6, 2007.

The 35-year-old man told Mr Paddy McCarthy SC, defending, that he met the complainant sometime in 2004 and began a relationship with her shortly after doing some building work on her house.

The man said that the woman took control of his finances after he told her he was in significant debt with the Revenue Commissioners.

He said that he still owes the woman money after she “sorted out” his tax arrears and consolidated his outstanding debt.

The man said the complainant enjoyed going abroad on a regular basis, and that in the 10-week period prior to the alleged assault, the pair had gone on three foreign holidays.

He said he “couldn’t keep up” with the lifestyle the complainant had become accustomed to and that even without his debts he could not afford to continue living with her.

The man said in the weeks before the alleged assault the complainant argued with him constantly about the amount of time he spent with his children and that she called him 10 or more times a day.

He told Mr McCarthy that, after having coffee with the complainant on the morning of the alleged assault, he returned to the house in the early afternoon to help remove some guttering.

He said the complainant then led him to the bedroom where they had consensual sex involving bondage and the use of a belt and a riding crop.

He denied returning to the house later the same evening, dragging the woman to the bedroom and orally raping and sexually assaulting her.

The man denied he had a drink problem but told Mr McCarthy that he had taken to drink after he had separated from the mother of his children.

He said his problem lasted for a period of six months and ended when it was established that he would have regular access to his children.

The man agreed with Mr Gerard Clarke SC, prosecuting, that the bruising evident on the complainant’s body in the aftermath of the alleged assault was not normal.

He told Mr Clarke that he had struck the complainant as part of sex on previous occasions but agreed that marks arising from this were not to the same extent as those seen in photographs taken of her after the alleged assault.

The man agreed that he told gardaí in interview that sex with the complainant on the afternoon of August 6 had “maybe got a bit out of hand”.

He said he did not know how the complainant came to have bruises on her jaw and neck and denied punching her in the stomach.

The trial has entered closing arguments and the jury of eight men and four women is expected to begin its deliberations tomorrow.