A woman who alleges she was raped told a jury yesterday the accused man was trying to portray her as a prostitute. The 43year-old woman made her comments during a third day of cross-examination in the Central Criminal Court. The 50-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to raping her on July 26th, 1996.
Mr Edward Walsh, defending, told her the accused man would claim she enticed him into having sex with her in a house. His client would also claim that after sex she asked for £20 for shopping and that there was a smell of alcohol from her breath, counsel said. The woman said these claims were totally untrue and lies. She said that what counsel was suggesting was what prostitutes did and she was not a prostitute.
The defence also introduced a security video into evidence which the accused claimed showed the woman having a conversation with him on September 24th, 1997. The woman could not recall the meeting. Mr Edwards said his client would claim she suggested dropping the case against him. He would also say she said it was her birthday and suggested he could buy her a bottle of vodka. The woman did not recall such a conversation. She had been on a nine-week counselling course for alcoholics since July 31st, 1996.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney and the jury.