The wife of the west of Ireland man charged with sexually abusing two daughters denied her husband had regularly beaten her, as the alleged victims claimed.
The woman also denied a claim that she was left sitting in a chair covered in blood after an assault by her husband. He had, however, pushed or argued with her when drunk, she said.
The woman was giving evidence on the third day of her 49-year-old husband's trial before Mrs Justice McGuinness and a jury in the Central Criminal Court. He has pleaded not guilty to a total of 51 charges of rape, unlawful carnal knowledge and indecent assault of his two daughters on unknown dates from 1978 to 1989.
The court has heard that the accused's wife and other members of the family did not accept the abuse allegations were true. His wife agreed with Mr Michael Durack SC, for the prosecution, that her husband had had a drink problem. Asked how he behaved when he was drunk, she replied: "Not what you would call bad, like. Mostly now, he wouldn't be vicious . . . ". She denied he beat her regularly, saying: "Well, he'd just give me a push".
The trial continues.