A man charged with raping a woman after a neighbour's birthday party told gardai she did not know it was him but thought it was her boyfriend who was having sex with her.
The 24-year-old alleged victim has already told a Central Criminal Court jury she woke up at about 5.30 a.m. to find the accused on top of her having sex with her. Insp. Malachy Geraghty told the jury on the third day of the trial that after the accused made his first statement he invited him "to tell the truth" because the truth would make him feel better. Insp. Geraghty said the accused then made a further statement detailing how he went upstairs to where the woman was sleeping and got into the bed beside her. He said he put his hand on her breasts outside her clothes and eventually became aroused.
The accused told gardai he believed she thought it was her boyfriend who was in bed with her.
Afterwards, he had a row with her boyfriend over the matter. The accused agreed with the gardai that he was sorry for what he had done, and put that in his statement.
The 35-year-old Dublin man has pleaded not guilty to raping the woman on January 5th, 1997. The trial continues before Mr Justice Carney.