A WATERFORD woman has told a jury at the Central Criminal Court she thought she was "going to pass out" when raped by the next door neighbour of a woman for whom she was babysitting.
The 33 year old woman told the jury of eight women and four men it was the first time she had experienced sexual intercourse. Shortly after the incident she broke down as she began to speak to the Samaritans who had been telephoned by her sister.
A 36 year old married man and father of four has denied raping and sexually assaulting the woman on October 10th, 1995, on a Waterford housing estate.
The alleged victim's sister said the woman was in a very distressed state when she met her about midnight. She said the alleged victim was crying and told her the accused man "has gone mad this time. He has gone the whole way and raped me
The witness said that in the area "they all knew" what the accused man was like. When a female would pass on the street he would comment "Look at her tits".
"He would shake your breast before he would shake your hand. He didn't kiss or cuddle people - he manhandled them," he said.
When Mr Patrick McCarthy SC (with Mr Michael Delaney), defending, suggested to the witness that the alleged victim had "a little crush" on the accused man the witness and people in the public gallery began laughing. After apologising to the court the woman replied: "No, she didn't have a crush on him."
Earlier, the alleged victim told the jury the rape happened at about 11.30 p.m. when she allowed the accused man in to use the telephone. He had an arrangement with the householder to use her phone and was in the house quite often.
He grabbed her breasts from behind while she walked back to the sofa but she pushed him away. He then sat down beside her, pulled up her T shirt and bra and began groping her breasts and then raped her, the alleged victim said.
Replying to Mr James Connolly SC (with Ms Una Ni Raifeartaigh) prosecuting, the alleged victim described how she rolled off the sofa with the man still on top of her. She struck her forehead off a coffee table and she claimed he then raped her.
She felt "great pain" and wanted to scream but did not because of two small children sleeping upstairs in the terraced house, she said.
When she finally freed herself she first went to the kitchen but then just "got to hell" out of the house through the front door to look for her sister who lived nearby.
She agreed she had known the accused man for 12 years and was very friendly with him, his wife and children. He had drink taken but was not drunk that night.
She denied she consented to sex with the accused man. She also rejected Mr McCarthy's suggestion that his client would say in evidence she had told him to hurry up before the householder came home.
Dr Abdul Bulbulia said his medical examination indicated she had "forced sexual intercourse". There had been no foreplay. If there had been, the bruising and inflammation would not have been so bad even in a case of first time sex.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Flood.