A CO DONEGAL mother of three claimed yesterday before a jury that she was raped by a neighbour on a mountain lay by almost five years ago.
The 29 year old woman told the Central Criminal Court the accused man had struck her a number of times and at one point she nearly fainted from a blow to the chest.
She was giving evidence on the first day of the trial of a friend's 43 year old husband. He has pleaded not guilty to raping and sexually assaulting her on September 4th, 1991.
The woman told Mr Edward Comyn SC, prosecuting, that at 9 p.m. she was walking to her uncle's house when the defendant stopped in his car and asked her to go into his house to see his wife.
When she refused and tried to walk on, he reversed and blocked her twice with his car. She ran, down the roadway but the accused man got out of his car, grabbed her and forced her back towards the car.
She said she tried to free herself but he started to hit her on the arms, back and front. "He punched me on the chest and I almost fainted", she claimed.
The woman told Mr Comyn she got into the car because she feared for her life. She said the defendant drove up to a mountain lay by, reclined her seat and took off his shoes and trousers.
The woman claimed he forced her to touch him intimately. The accused man then told her to take off her jeans. When she refused, he said You know what will happen if you don't". She undressed partially and he forced her to have oral sex with him before having sexual intercourse with her.
Afterwards he warned her not to tell anyone about what had happened. He also asked her to meet him again the next night and she agreed because she knew she was going to go to gardai, she said Mr Comyn told the jury they must ask themselves whether the woman had given her consent or whether the accused man was reckless as to whether she was consenting or not.
The trial continues today.