Woman tells Cork rape and child cruelty trial her ex 'did not care who saw him being abusive'

The woman told the court that she left the man when “he attacked my son".

The accused man faces a total of 59 charges, including two counts of raping his then-partner, and one of sexually assaulting his partner’s son. File photo: Larry Cummins

A middle-aged man who denies charges of child cruelty was “getting a thrill out of annoying the children – once he had them upset he was happy out,” his ex-partner claimed at his trial.

Mr Justice Michael McGrath and a jury of five women and seven men at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork were told by the witness that her then-partner raped her and was cruel to her three children.

“He was controlling and everything. It got worse and worse. Eventually, I had no choice only to leave,” the complainant said.

In cross-examination that went on throughout Thursday, defence senior counsel Tom Creed asked: “What prompted you to leave in January 2016?” She replied: 

He attacked my son. I left the house and would not go back.

Mr Creed SC said there was a letter signed by her son at the age of 12 or 13 and co-signed by his mother (the complainant) where he said he cut his own arm and blamed the defendant to get back at him for not letting him go somewhere. 

Mr Creed said the truth came out and that the defendant’s former partner was lying to the jury about it. She said: “I am not lying.” As for signing what Mr Creed described, she said: “If my name is there my name is there.” 

Mr Creed said to the witness that the defendant “denies raping you,” and he questioned her about her evidence that she was bleeding afterwards. She replied: “He did rape me. If you were raped you not would be looking for blood or anything like that, you would be sore as hell. I went to the bathroom and cried my eyes out.” 

She said she got a temporary protection order at one time but she said he told her that if she got a barring order her children would be taken from her. 

“I was scared for my children I did not want my children split up and never see them again. I had that in my ear constantly from (defendant). When I withdrew the temporary protection order he turned around and said, ‘I don’t need to be nice to ye c***s anymore.’ After that it went to hell from there,” she testified.

“Why did you not leave him (at an earlier stage)?” Mr Creed asked. She replied: “I had nowhere else to go.” Mr Creed said: “The reason you did not go back to court is that you did not need to go back.” 

She replied: “No, I was scared of what he would do to us if I got the protection order. 

He did not care who saw him being abusive towards us – family or friends or anyone who saw him.

Prosecution senior counsel Shane Costelloe told the jury that the accused man faced a total of 59 charges, including two counts of raping his then-partner, “numerous counts of sexual assaulting her”, and cruelty to her three children by what was described as a pattern of behaviour. 

The defendant is also charged with sexually assaulting his partner’s son. The accused man has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.

The trial continues.