Young Corkman claims his mother's former partner sexually assaulted him

The court heard that when he threatened to tell his mother, the defendant replied: “If you do you would be lucky to go home.” 

The accused faces 59 charges, including two counts of raping his then-partner and “numerous counts of sexually assaulting her” File photo: Dan Linehan

A young man has claimed in a trial by judge and jury that he was sexually assaulted at the age of nine by his mother’s then-partner and that when he threatened that he would tell his mother, the accused said if he did he would be lucky to make it home.

This allegation was made at the commencement of the second week of the trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork where the accused man denies all charges against him.

The accused man faces a total of 59 charges, including two counts of raping his then-partner, “numerous counts of sexually assaulting her”, and cruelty to her three children. The defendant is also charged with sexually assaulting his partner’s son. The accused man has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

The son of the ex-partner of the defendant gave his direct evidence under the examination of prosecution senior counsel Shane Costelloe. The young man claimed that at the age of nine the defendant tried to sexually assault him in the shower.

“He got frustrated and – excuse my French – he beat the shit out of me and threw me on the floor. 

“I told my mother I did not want to go for a shower. He (the accused) said, ‘Go for your f***ing shower’. My mam said, “Just go for your shower and get it over and done with,’” the witness said.

Mr Costelloe SC asked the witness if he ever confronted the defendant about the alleged incidents in the shower and he said he did confront him between the second and third occasions when the defendant was driving him home from sports training. 

The witness told Mr Justice Michael McGrath and the jury of five women and seven men that he said to the accused: “I am going to tell Mam what you are doing.” He alleged that the defendant replied: “No you won’t. If you do you would be lucky to go home.” 

He said the defendant then drove from side to side and after the journey home he got out of the car and said: “I broke my f***ing headlight because of you, you c**t.” 

Later in his evidence, he said: “At the age of 10 or 11 I woke up on my stomach…" The young man then claimed he could feel him sexually assaulting him. 

"I felt scared. I felt very very scared.  I started fighting back – ‘Go away from me, go away from me’ – and he (defendant) tied up his pants and went out of the room (his mother appeared) and he said, ‘Look at this sicko playing with himself, that is why his pants are down around his ankles.’"

Defence barrister, Donal O’Sullivan, cross-examined a local garda witness who confirmed a statement made by the witness where he admitted that he had lied to the principal of his school and to a doctor that the defendant had scratched his arm. In the statement, he said he had scratched himself and lied about it being caused by the defendant because he was upset at him for not being allowed to go to his friend’s birthday party on the same day as his sister’s birthday.

The trial continues.