A Sligo man has denied in evidence to a jury at the Central Criminal Court that he raped or sexually assaulted a student after the Leaving Certificate examination four years ago.
He told defence counsel, Mr Barry White SC: "Definitely not. Whatever happened was consensual. I didn't do anything wrong to her."
He said that on the evening of the alleged rape he and the woman walked into a garden where they had consensual sex. "I didn't do it forcefully," he said.
The 21-year-old Co Sligo man has pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape and sexual assault on July 3rd, 1995.
He told prosecuting counsel, Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, that he disagreed with most of the content of his statement to gardai, and implied it was invented.
He told Mr Buckley that the alleged victim had walked into the garden on her "own free accord".
He said he could not imagine how she had ripped her tights, and denied he ever pulled them down. The muffled sounds that were heard by the other witnesses were made during sex.
Asked if he ever called her a slut or a whore, he replied: "When she was calling me names afterwards maybe I called her a slut then."
He admitted taking coins out of his pocket, and said he threw them at everyone out of temper.
He agreed with counsel that the woman was in a complete state of panic. He was in a fury. He said the reason he ran from the scene was for fear of his girlfriend of three years finding out he had had sex with another girl and because the alleged victim had told him to run, as the lads would kill him.
He denied the earlier evidence of a young man who knew both of them that the alleged victim had asked the accused man to have sex with her and when he refused she shouted "Rape".
The trial continues before Mr Justice Smith and a jury of five men and seven women.
In yesterday's report of this case it was incorrectly stated that a witness claimed he "was present" when the alleged victim purportedly invited the accused to have sex with her. The report should have recorded that the witness said this claim was made to him by the accused after the alleged incident.
