A YOUNG woman, along with her brother and a male cousin, have gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for raping a 25 year old woman.
The alleged victim, who cried loudly and uncontrollably at times, told the jury she regained consciousness in a field to find a girl holding her down while a younger boy raped her.
An 18 year old woman, her 15 year old brother and their 18 year old cousin have pleaded not guilty to raping and sexually assaulting the woman in Co Westmeath early on March 26th, 1994.
The alleged victim told the jury of nine men and three women she attended a disco with her brother but left on her own before it ended to go to a friend's house.
She recalled walking for a while and meeting a group of about three youths and a woman. She said she spoke to them, and her next memory was of waking up in the field with the woman lying across her upper body.
She broke down before continuing with her evidence describing how a young boy was lying on her lower body raping her. She said the boy was about 14. The woman told prosecutor, Mr Maurice Gaffney SC, that a second, taller youth stood beside her while all this happened.
She claimed she next remembered coming to again and finding herself alone, totally naked and freezing. Her feet were cut and scratched with thorns.
She ran to a house and knocked on the door but no one answered. She saw an open window high up on another building, climbed to it and got in through the window into a locker room. She found and old jumper and put it on. A short time later a man discovered her and called gardai, she said.
The alleged victim agreed she drank before the incident and was not used to a lot of alcohol.
She said the sexual attack was like a dream and she agreed with Mr Seamus Sorahan SC, for the 15 year old youth, her lack of memory of the night's events could have been a result of her alcohol consumption.
Mr Martin Giblin SC, for the 18 year old accused man, told the alleged victim the medical evidence in the case did not support her claim of rape.
When Mr Padraig O'Higgins SC, for the accused woman, put it to her that no sexual intercourse had taken place, she replied. I can't be 100 per cent sure but I am 99 per cent sure."
A number of other witnesses said the victim had drink taken on the night of the alleged rape and some added she was quite drunk.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Moriarty.