Man claims his sister's allegations of abuse are lies

A man who denies sexually abusing his sister and her daughter told a jury the allegations were "lies and a very good act" and…

A man who denies sexually abusing his sister and her daughter told a jury the allegations were "lies and a very good act" and that his sister's upset in the evidence box was assumed for the court.

The defendant also said his sister laughed and joked in the court when the jury were not present.

The alleged victim's mother, her four sisters and her estranged husband also gave evidence for the defence and denied her claims.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 19 counts of indecent assault on his sister and to two counts of sexual assault on his six-year-old niece.

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Cross-examined by Mr Michael Durack SC prosecuting, on whether he felt the allegations were an elaborate plot, the defendant answered: "You said it."

Earlier he told Mr Martin Giblin SC defending, that his niece, now aged 10, had made contradictory claims of sexual assault.

He denied he had first indecently assaulted his sister when she brought sandwiches and a tea flask to a building site where he worked.

"I had cooking facilities and I brought my own flask. What she is saying are lies," he said.

The defendant's mother told Mr Giblin her daughter was making up the allegations to settle family disputes. "I know what my daughter is like," she said.

She denied she had placed a lock on a bedroom door to prevent her son from abusing his sister.

The alleged victim's mother agreed with Mr Giblin that her daughter's decision to live in England with a married man was a source of tension in the family.

Eventually, her daughter rang and asked to come home. "I laughed and put down the phone," the witness told the court. After advice from her husband, she allowed her daughter to stay.

One of the defendant's sisters said she was deeply shocked when she heard of the allegations. She denied discussing the alleged abuse with her sister in a graveyard.

She also denied ever hearing her brother come into a bedroom where the alleged victim and six of her sisters slept.

Four other sisters also denied their brother came into the room and sexually abused the complainant.

The alleged victim's estranged husband claimed his wife had allowed the defendant to babysit their daughter on a number of occasions. Asked about claims by his daughter that the defendant had rubbed against her "private parts", he said he had never known her to use such a phrase.

The trial continues before Judge Michael White and a jury.