A MAN charged with raping a 14-year-old babysitter in his sister’s home was threatened with being “knee-capped” unless he pleaded guilty and has been subjected to silent phone calls, a court heard yesterday.
The 30-year-old man has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping and sexually assaulting the teenager in a Wexford town on November 25th, 2006.
Answering questions yesterday the girl agreed with John O’Kelly SC, defending, that she was aware that as a result of her allegation the accused had been beaten by her father and another of her male relatives.
She also agreed she was aware he received threats that he would be “knee-capped” unless he pleaded guilty, but she denied she knew who was making what counsel called “silent phone calls” to him.
The girl told Thomas Creed SC, prosecuting, that she had babysat previously in the house a number of times. The children were in bed when she arrived and after the parents left she was watching television. She said the accused arrived at about 10pm and asked her what age she was.
She told him she was 14 and he said that they could both have “a bit of fun”.
She told Mr Creed she replied “no” but said he began kissing her and fondling her body outside her tracksuit as well as putting his hands inside her clothes going on to rape her.
She pushed him off her and dressed herself. When he went to the front door to leave he said to her: “This is between the two of us. You’re not going to tell anyone?”
The girl told Mr Creed that when the accused left she went to the bathroom and found she was bleeding. When the couple returned later, she telephoned her mother to come to collect her. She said nothing to anyone at that time about what she alleges happened. The trial continues.