A Dublin man has gone on trial accused of entering a sleeping woman’s home in the early hours of the morning armed with a screwdriver and hammer, and raping her twice.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping the woman, falsely imprisoning her and making a threat to kill or cause her serious harm at her Dublin home on June 17th, 2011.
He has also pleaded not guilty to entering the woman’s home as a trespasser with intent to commit theft and carrying a screwdriver and hammer on the same occasion.
Opening the case, Paul Burns SC, prosecuting, said the woman normally had a flatmate but on this night she was alone.
It was the prosecution’s case that the accused man entered her bedroom without her permission and stayed for a number of hours.