Sex assault accused instructs counsel to stop questioning alleged victim

A man accused of child sexual assault and defilement twice interrupted proceedings to demand his counsel stop cross examining the alleged victim and her mother at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.

The 64-year-old defendant, sat with his hand over his face while the 17-year-old complainant repeatedly broke down during cross examination by his defence counsel, Mr John Peart SC.

The girl, who was 14 at the time of the alleged offences, told Mr Peart that the accused was "very trusted" by her family and denied she was "embellishing" her evidence.

Breaking down, she said: "It all happened. Everything I have said is the truth".

The accused then rose to his feet and while waving his arms said: "Just leave it. I don't want her cross examined anymore."

The girl, who was 14 at the time of the alleged offences, went on to tell prosecution counsel Ms Tara Burns BL, that she once cared for the accused.

She said: "I genuinely did trust him. I always thought he was so good natured and wasn’t capable of hurting someone the way he has hurt me."

Ms Burns then called the complainant's mother, who broke down in tears several times while detailing how she came to know of the accusations.

She told the jury that on the morning of January 6, 2009, she and her daughter were in the car together in pursuit of the defendant who had earlier left the home following a disagreement, when the girl "said she had something to tell me".

Crying in the witness box, she told the jury that when they caught up with the accused, she questioned him about what her daughter was talking about and he replied: "She must mean I fancy her or something."

The witness told Ms Burns she then asked her daughter if the defendant "was having sex with her?" to which she replied: "Yes".

The accused then rose to his feet again and said: "Let's just leave it. I don't want anymore cross examination."

The court had previously heard from the alleged victim that she was first introduced to the accused, a friend of her fathers, when she was in sixth class.

She told the jury that the defendant became a regular visitor to her home in Kildare in July 2008, and when she was aged 14 he moved in permanently with the family.

The trial continues in front of Judge Desmond Hogan and a jury of five men and seven women.