A niece of Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams denied defence suggestions yesterday that she was never abused by her father Liam Adams, a younger brother of the TD.
Defence QC Eilis McDermott made the suggestion as she cross-examined Áine Adams (40) about what she had initially told police about the alleged abuse.
Ms McDermott put it to Ms Adams the reason why she had not told police everything that allegedly happened to her from the age of five, including two of the rapes, “is that they didn’t take place at all”.
Ms Adams said at the time she was an embarrassed teenager, and while her mother was “heartbroken”, because she had been abused, she wanted to spare her mother’s feelings about aspects of the rapes.
Her 57-year-old father, from Bernagh Drive, Belfast, denies 10 charges of sexual abuse, including three of rape, three of gross indecency and four of indecent assault between March 1977 and March 1983. The trial continues on Monday.
Earlier she had told prosecution QC Ciarán Murphy that the reason she initially told her mother and then the police was because she was “really worried” about her half-sister. She revealed that when once sent £150 as a present from her father, she tore the money up and put into an envelope with a letter and “put it through Gerry Adams’ post box”.
Ms Adams said she told her mother about the abuse in early 1986. However, Ms McDermott said records would establish her first complaint was not made until a year later.