Cork trial of two boys shown footage of what 'appears to be an act of intercourse'

A 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy are accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at Limerick Races on December 26, 2022

A third boy is accused of aiding and abetting the first two defendants in carrying out these offences and he is also charged with falsely imprisoning the girl. File picture: Larry Cummins

WARNING: Some readers may find the following report upsetting

The judge and jury in a rape trial was shown video footage from a phone of incidents in a car where a 16-year-old girl says she was raped by a 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy at Limerick Races.

This evidence was given at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, as prosecution senior counsel Dean Kelly said the four clips only consisted of seconds of footage and were taken from an iPhone belonging to one of the teenaged defendants.

“They appeared to be filmed by a person sitting in the front seat of the vehicle.

“The fourth clip shows a female walking across a grassy area and some words are heard… ‘F*** her, anyway’ can be heard being spoken,” Mr Kelly said.

Sergeant John O’Neill said the time stamp for the videos going into the hard drive of the phone was 16.22 on December 26, 2022.

Mr Kelly commented on each of the clips as they were shown. In respect of the first one, he said: “We appear to be seeing an act of sexual intercourse taking place in the rear of the car. We can see persons in the front driver’s seat and front passenger seat.” 

Mr Kelly said of the second clip: “We see a very brief glimpse of someone sitting in the front of the car and there is music playing.” He said the third clip was only two seconds duration. 

The last clip showed a female making her way across a roadway and field. He said the perspective of the camera turned around to show a young man in the driver’s seat of the car speaking and smiling and a young man sitting in the rear seat.

Also during this evidence, Mr Kelly referred to a moment where “it appears to be an act of intercourse taking place in the back of the car… one person lying on top of another person”. 

The day’s evidence finished with the commencement of a memo of interview with one young man who is accused of rape. Sergeant David Boland of Roxboro Station in Limerick said the interview took place on January 6, 2023.

In the opening moments of the interview, the teenager said in the course of his replies to the first questions put to him: “I was blamed in the wrong… It wasn’t me… What are you on about rape – I never raped anyone.” The case continues.

Two defendants - now aged 15 and 17 - are both charged with raping and sexually assaulting the teenager. A third boy is accused of aiding and abetting the first two defendants in carrying out these offences and he is also charged with falsely imprisoning the girl.

It is alleged that the contested incidents occurred in a car in a field car park at Limerick racecourse at Patrickswell, County Limerick, on December 26, 2022. All three accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

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