A CROATIAN prostitute who was raped by a Waterford businessman has claimed she was approached by two Albanian men in her home country who offered her money to withdraw her evidence.
Mr Justice Barry White was told of the development by Gerard Clarke SC, prosecuting, at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, where he had been due to impose sentence.
Billy Keogh (46), a married man and father of six, Kilmeaden, Co Waterford, was convicted in February of raping the 26-year-old woman in a hotel after hiring her by phone from the Cork-based Red Velvets Escorts Agency.
Mr Clarke told Mr Justice White that "a very serious matter" had come to his attention since the last hearing when the court was told that Keogh was offering compensation to the victim.
He said Det Sgt David Walsh had spoken to the woman since the last hearing, while the Albanian men were actually with her, and she told him about their approach to her.
Mr Clarke said gardaí had difficulty contacting the woman before the last hearing as she had lost her mobile phone. Contact had been made since through the Croatian police with the help of Interpol.
She had indicated she was not interested in "voluntarily accepting" Keogh's compensation offer. She had started a new job and she could not take time off to travel to Dublin for the sentence hearing.
She said she was happy that it could go ahead in her absence.
Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, said the information about the Albanians was "hearsay evidence".
Mr Justice White said he would not be prepared to deal with the matter on the basis of hearsay evidence but he would listen to direct evidence about it from the victim. He adjourned the case.
Mr Hartnett said Keogh was anxious that a probation report outlining his family circumstances would be available for the court.
No specific amount of compensation was mentioned in court at the previous hearing.
Keogh was found guilty of raping the woman, who claimed he told her he was a garda and that he also threatened to throw her out of the hotel window. The jury found him not guilty of stealing €1,200 from her on May 21st, 2006. Keogh had denied both charges.