A MAN accused of raping a mentally handicapped woman "bragged about it" and was told by workmates he would be jailed for 14 years, a jury at the Central Criminal Court was told.
A short verbal altercation occurred in the court with the defendant and a former workmate calling each other liars after Mr Hugh Hartnett (with Mr Barry White SC), defending, suggested to the witness that his evidence was untrue.
The witness said the defendant first told him and two other men he named that he had attacked the woman, who is mildly handicapped, after drinking with her and his girlfriend. His mates found it difficult to believe he had done anything because he was "bragging" about it.
A few days later the defendant asked them what he would "get for rape", and they said he would get 10-14 years as well as being beaten up in prison. The defendant told them he had gone back up to the room in which she was asleep after his girlfriend fell asleep downstairs. He told them she had screamed when he attacked her and he left the room.
He said his girlfriend met him on the stairs when she was coming up to find out what the commotion was, and said she had slapped him on the face.
The witness agreed earlier with Mr Den is Vaughan Buckley SC, (with Mr Roger Sweetman), prosecuting, that he had served six months' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a girl. He said he had pleaded guilty "straight away" to that charge and was not yet over what he had done.
He told Mr Hartnett that gardai did not mention his own charge to him when investigating the subject of this trial. There was no suggestion he might "help himself" in his own problem if he made a statement on this matter.
The defendant, a 32-year-old Dublin man, has pleaded not guilty to raping and sexually assaulting the woman in his home on May 17th, 1991.
The defendant's former girlfriend said it would have been "impossible" for him to have raped the woman. She said she had fallen asleep on his lap on a settee and they were both in the same position when she woke.
She told Mr Sweet man it was then nearly time for them to catch the last bus home and she sent the defendant upstairs to wake the woman while she put on a kettle in his kitchen. The defendant and the woman came down the stairs laughing.
She told Mr White, she had met the woman several times over the following days, including once in the defendant's presence again in, his house, and no complaint was made about the alleged rape.
A few minutes after they came downstairs, the woman alleged the defendant had raped her but the witness told her it was only her period which was starting. The witness said the woman then apologised to the defendant.
The woman's parents told of going to the defendant's home on, May 24th with her. Her father claimed the defendant just sneered when told the woman alleged he had raped her. They withdrew after a short scuffle and, shortly after went to a Garda station to make a formal complaint.
The hearing continues.