A forthcoming book on former Taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey will allege that he was caught in flagrante delicto with a woman the night before his fall from a horse in 1970 and was subjected to an "unmerciful hiding" by the girl's father and brother which "almost killed him", it was claimed at the High Court yesterday.
Extracts from the book, Sweetie, by journalist Kevin O'Connor were read to the court during an application by a former groom who claims she was present when Mr Haughey was injured in a fall from a horse in 1970. Mr Haughey was then Minister for Finance and the incident occurred on the day of the budget. Mrs Rose Henderson, formerly Miss Rose Young, was 19 in 1970 and worked as a groom for Mr Haughey. She attended a press conference at Kinsealy and explained how the accident had happened. She will apply to the court today to stop publication of the book. Mrs Henderson claims Mr O'Connor intends to publish what he contends is a truthful account of how Mr Haughey came by his injuries.
She claims Mr O'Connor's account conveys the clear meaning that she was a co-conspirator with Mr Haughey and others in providing an alibi for the former Taoiseach.
Mrs Henderson claims Mr O'Connor's account will suggest that there was a Garda investigation into what he contends happened, namely an incident in the Grasshopper Inn, Clonee, Co Meath, the night before. In court yesterday, Mr Michael McDowell SC, for Mrs Henderson, referred to part of Mr O'Connor's book dealing with the 1970 accident. It states: "We can reveal what actually happened. Mr Haughey was in fact with a girl and was in a flagrante delicto situation when her father and brother surprised him.
"Using chairs, they bashed him about the head and shoulders. They gave him an unmerciful hiding and almost killed him. The incident happened in an upstairs room at the Grasshopper Inn in Clonee, County Meath, between 11 and 11.30 p.m. the night before the budget. Mr Haughey was rushed to the Mater Hospital and was in a serious condition for some time."
Mr McDowell said it was proposed to identify Mrs Henderson in the book as a liar and suggest she had left the country. She was entitled to defend her reputation. Mr Justice Kearns gave leave to Mrs Henderson to serve notice of the application for an injunction on Mr O'Connor - of Roundwood, Co Wicklow - and the case is to come back to the High Court today.
Yesterday's application was made without Mr O'Connor's side being represented. The book is scheduled for publication this week.
It was stated on affidavit by Mrs Henderson that following correspondence between lawyers for the sides, Mr O'Connor had belatedly undertaken to remove her photograph and name from the book. However, Mr O'Connor was insisting on making reference to the injury allegedly sustained by "the principal character" in the book and the different explanations which he said had been put forward for it.
Mrs Henderson, a physical training instructor, who was not in court, said she was employed by Mr Haughey in August 1969. On April 22nd, 1970 she prepared a horse named Marshal for Mr Haughey to ride. At 7.40 a.m. he left on the horse and returned about half an hour later.
She went to take the horse, but before she got hold of the reins, Mr Haughey, in attempting to pull himself off the horse's back, had caught hold of part of the drain piping that ran from the guttering on the outside of the overhanging canopy to the stable wall. It cracked loudly and broke as it took some of his weight.
The horse reared up and jumped forward. Mr Haughey, who was in the process of dismounting, lost his balance and was thrown backwards and fell violently. Mrs Henderson - of Wedgwood, Dublin - said she found him lying unconscious on the ground. There was blood coming out of one of his ears. She thought he was dead. She ran to the phone to call the house for help. On returning a few moments later, Mr Haughey had begun to regain consciousness and shortly after that he was taken to hospital.
It was clear to her that he had suffered severe injuries, which in her view were consistent with those subsequently reported by the doctors who had treated him, namely a fractured skull, torn right eardrum, broken collarbone and a back injury. He could not have mounted the horse and ridden out that morning with injuries such as these without her noticing something was wrong.
"There is no doubt in my mind but that Mr Haughey suffered these injuries when he was thrown from the horse while dismounting that morning," Mrs Henderson said. "I witnessed the incident and saw him immediately afterwards unconscious with blood coming from his ear. When he came around he was unable to walk without assistance and did not know what happened."
Mrs Henderson said she subsequently attended a press conference in Kinsealy at Mr Haughey's request and explained to all present how the accident happened.
She continued to work for Mr Haughey for a couple of years. She then left, having set up a livery yard in Templeogue, which she rented from the owner. She never left for Australia and had never been there, contrary to what Mr O'Connor alleged.
Mrs Henderson said that given the latest publicity surrounding Mr Haughey, photographs and film of her had appeared in the media and she had again been associated with Mr Haughey in the eyes of all those who knew her or knew of her.
Mr O'Connor had approached her at the school where she worked last October and asked to talk to her. She declined on that and other occasions and asked him to go away and leave her alone. He had also phoned her at work three or four times. She told him she did not wish to talk to him. He also wrote to her.
She was upset and felt threatened by his persistent attitude. He said if she did not speak with him she would be door-stepped by reporters and have no peace for the rest of her life.
She made a formal complaint to Garda about him and understood he was cautioned. He had not contacted her since.