Accused man admitted sex crimes to family, court told

An alleged victim of sexual abuse has told a Central Criminal Court jury that the accused never denied the allegations to his face and admitted them in front of the accused’s own sons.

The complainant said he had gone to the man’s house in October 2004, two months after he had confronted him about the abuse, because the accused had met his own daughter earlier after a football match and had confronted and upset her.

He told the jury that the accused said to his daughter at that time: “It was love and consensual” in relation to his allegations that the man had abused him.

The complainant said when he called to the accused’s house that day the man admitted that he had abused him, in the presence of the accused’s own sons.

Mr Giollaíosa O’Lideadha SC, defending, suggested that the complainant was “completely wrong” about that and said that he had never reported this particular incident to anyone previously.

The 75-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to 19 charges of indecent assault on dates between January 1, 1969 and June 30, 1973 when the complainant was aged between 13 and 17 years old.

He has also pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of rape and one of indecent assault in relation to one female complainant and 14 charges in relation to both rape and indecent assault of a second female complainant on dates between January 1, 1970 and August 31, 1973.

The girls were aged between 13 and 16 years old at the time.

The complainant refused to accept a suggestion from counsel that he had been “entirely incorrect” in his evidence when he stated that his client’s reply to him confronting him about the abuse was “I knew it would come up some day”.

“He never denied the allegations. He never denied it to me. He never said it to my face that he never abused me,” the complainant replied.

“He consistently denied the allegations,” Mr O’Lideadha submitted.

The complainant agreed with Mr O’Lideadha (with Mr Lorcan Staines BL) that when he called a family meeting in 2004 to inform them of the fact he had been abused by the accused, he enquired whether the man had harmed any of them too.

He refused to accept a suggestion that this amounted to him indicating to his extended family that he was actively seeking other people who may be prepared to make allegations.

The complainant agreed that both he and the accused sat in the complainant’s car the day he called to his house in October 2004 and talked for over an hour but he did not accept that the accused then told him that he had information about the complainant’s own previous “sexual conduct” that if disclosed “could make life difficult for you”.

He also denied that the accused had told him he would not make any admissions to the abuse.

He also refused to accept that he told the accused at that stage that the three cases of alleged abuse could be dropped but it would cost him.

“I never mentioned anything of the sort to him,” the complainant replied.

In re-examination the complainant agreed that a solicitor’s letter he received in response to a letter he had drafted on behalf of the accused, outlining the accused’s intended resignation and agreement to hand over his share in properties and business to him, did not mention any blackmail attempt by him.

He further agreed that this solicitor letter also never mentioned an attempt by the complainant to get other people to make allegations.

The complainant told Mr Patrick McGrath SC, prosecuting in re-examination, that he was never arrested or investigated by gardai for any attempts to blackmail the accused.

The complainant also refused to accept a suggestion that he had circulated flyers and posters in the accused’s neighbourhood repeating the allegations.

“I didn’t do or say anything behind his back. Everything about this case has been in the open,” the complainant replied.

He denied that he harassed the accused or his family after the allegations had been made and instead insisted that the man had tried to incriminate him.

The complainant accepted a number of photographs, that were produced by the defence and dated from 1978 to 1995, depicted him with the accused, or his children with the accused’s children.

He denied, however, that there had been a “continuing close personal friendly relationship” between the two families.

He also refused to accept a suggestion that the accused and his wife ever babysat his own children.

“No. I don’t remember ever leaving any of my children alone with him,” the complainant replied.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of seven women and five men.