The jury in the trial of a man accused of raping a woman with Down syndrome in June 2012 has begun hearing the recorded evidence of his alleged victim.
The man admits having “sexual contact” with her in his Dublin flat but claims it was consensual and denies knowing she had an intellectual disability.
The alleged victim, who’s in her 20s, wasn’t in court to give evidence this afternoon. Instead, the jury’s being shown her recorded testimony on a DVD.
From a two-seater leather sofa in a special interview room, she was first asked if she knew the difference between the truth and a lie.
She went on to talk about her family and hobbies, one of which is going for runs with her mother.
She spoke about one time she couldn’t find her Mum while out jogging. She said she met a man who walked her back to his place and up to his room.
She said he took her clothes off before he got undressed and they had sex. Afterwards, she claims he told her not to tell anyone because it’s a secret.
Aside from the rape charge, the man’s also accused of sexual assault and having sex with a “mentally impaired person” – an offence which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
He admits there was sexual contact, but claims it was consensual and insists he didn’t know she had an intellectual disability.
