Accused men were half-naked in room, alleged victim's partner tells court

The partner of the alleged victim of a gang rape in Monaghan has said he saw the three accused men in a room “half naked” and heard one man laughing and boasting.

The men stand accused at the Central Criminal Court of taking turns raping a pregnant woman who has given evidence alleging that one accused poured vodka on her face and urinated on her.

The first named accused (aged 28), who also lived in the house at the time, is alleged to have falsely imprisoned the woman, raped her and assaulted her and her partner causing them harm.

The second accused (aged 20) is accused of assaulting the couple, causing them harm, falsely imprisoning the woman and raping her.

The third accused (aged 20) is accused of raping her.

The alleged attacks took place between November 15-19, 2010. All three accused have pleaded not guilty to all counts.

A man told prosecuting counsel, Mr Conor Devally SC, that two days after he and his girlfriend moved into the house, two of the accused entered and confronted his partner about missing vodka.

The man said the first accused man punched him hard in the face and he lost consciousness. He said he was also attacked in his bedroom and injured on the Thursday and again lost consciousness.

He said on the Friday he heard the men coming up the stairs to attack him and he hid under the bed in another room. When two of the accused found him he said they assaulted him again, kicking him in the body and head.

He said when he woke up after the beating his partner was crying and saying she wanted to kill herself. She told him she had been raped by the men.

The man said he ran downstairs and heard the first named accused laughing. He said this man was saying: “We did her well and if we need to we’ll do it again”.

He said he saw the three accused men standing in a bedroom wearing only shorts and t-shirts and he said he saw a condom in an adjacent room.

The man agreed with Mr Alexander Owens SC, defending the first accused, that he was drinking on the Thursday evening with two of men accused of assaulting him.

Mr Owens put it to the man that he was also drinking with the first named accused on Friday morning. The man said he could not remember.

He said he didn’t called gardaí about the assaults on Thursday because he was only concerned about the pain he was suffering. Mr Owens put it to the man that he told gardaí in a statement that he had seen the three man standing in the same room where he saw the condom.

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