A DONEGAL woman has denied she alleged rape against her neighbour in conspiracy with her cousin and the accused man's wife to get their hands on his property. The 29 year old mother of three also denied to a jury at the Central Criminal Court that both she and the accused's wife were having an affair with her cousin.
She further denied that she had con sensual sex with the accused on more than one previous occasion but admitted having an affair with his brother in law. She also agreed that she was suing the accused in a civil action over the alleged rape.
She was being cross examined by defence counsel, Mr Gregory Murphy SC on the third day of the trial of her 43 year old neighbour who denies raping and sexually assaulting her in his car in a mountain lay by on September 4th. 1991.
Mr Murphy put it to her that she had con sensual sex with the accused man and that she had made Lip the rape allegation in conspiracy with her cousin and the accused's wife. She denied that.
Counsel said they hoped to get his client sent to prison to allow them get his property or for some other unknown reason. The woman also denied this.
Earlier she agreed that she had had a relationship with the accused's brother in law after his wife had gone to, England with a younger man, bringing all except one of their children with her.
The woman told Mr Murphy she was not aware that her cousin also had an affair with the accused's wife while the accused was working in the US.
She denied being aware that the accused's wife had suffered a miscarriage after being made pregnant by her cousin.
The woman recalled the day before the alleged rape when she had a birthday party for one of her children. Afterwards a number of them including the accused man's wife and three children had gone to a local, beach.
In the evening she returned to her parents' home with her children. She agreed she heard talk later about the accused looking for his wife and three children and calling in gardai.
She said she was aware the accused and his wife had problems and that his wife was afraid to return home. She had got the alleged victim's cousin to accompany her.
Mr Murphy put it to her that in fact it had been "the talk of the town" that the accused's wife had got "pie eyed," and abandoned her children in a car on the side of a mountain where they were, discovered at 2 a.m. with a halt finished bottle of Bacardi lying in the car.
The alleged victim also denied a further suggestion that she had been "drinking buddies" with the accused's wife and that they had spent $12,000 of the accused's money on vast amounts of drink.
When she denied ever receiving money from the accused's wife, Mr Murphy showed her what he claimed was a photocopy of the front and back of a cheque made out to her. He asked her whether a signature on the back of the cheque was hers and asked her to provide a sample of her signature to the court.
When she did, Mr Murphy called for her signed statement of evidence and suggested the two did not match. He suggested she had written a sample in unjoined script to deceive the court. She denied this.
Questioned about four alleged attempts to withdraw the rape allegation the woman said she had been put under pressure by the accused's sister (whose husband she had, earlier agreed having an affair with).