A woman who was reared in a home-care centre has claimed she twice witnessed a man rape a child resident while the nun in charge of the centre was present. The woman, aged 26, also told a jury in the Central Criminal Court yesterday that she saw the nun hold down the young girl's legs on the second occasion. She was told it was none of her business when she demanded to know what was going on. She said in cross-examination that the second occasion was some months after the first alleged incident when the alleged victim was aged nine or 10 years. The alleged victim has told the jury she was raped twice by the man while the nun held her ankles down but said the second time was up to three years after the first time and that it happened around her 12th birthday, in January 1990. The alleged victim, now aged 21, agreed in cross-examination earlier she was a difficult child who was "told off" for making up stories. She agreed she often didn't admit the truth afterwards. She agreed she used to make up stories to impress her friends and to draw attention to herself.
Cross-examined by Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, she insisted she didn't recollect having a reputation at school for what counsel called "making up outlandish stories" about people. She also claimed she couldn't recollect having told a neighbour she was raped by her father or of telling a psychologist in the sexual assault unit of the Rotunda Hospital that she had seen a boy having sex with a 10-year-old girl. Re-examined by Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, she said one of the stories she made up was that she knew pop star Craig McLaughlan from the TV programme Neighbours.
It was the second day of the trial of a former Mercy Order nun and a man who are charged variously with rape, unlawful carnal knowledge and indecent assault. The former nun, aged 51, and the man, aged 50, both deny two charges of raping the woman and two charges of having unlawful carnal knowledge of her on dates from January 1st, 1987, to January 31st, 1990, in a childcare centre in the south. The former nun, who was in charge of the centre at the time, also denies four further charges of indecently assaulting the woman in the same period. The jury heard the 26-year-old witness recall the alleged victim, who was then six, coming to live at the home. The witness said she was five years older and like an elder sister to the younger girl. She also recalled the male defendant being around the centre quite often. He was from Dublin and was friendly with the nun. He stayed in the centre often. She told Mr Vaughan Buckley (with Mr Fergal Foley) that she was sleeping in the room next to the alleged victim and recalled hearing noises and the girl crying one night. She went to the room and saw the nun standing by the wall with the male accused having sexual intercourse with the girl. The nun was in a nightdress.
The girl was heaving and crying. Witness said she asked what was going on and both defendants left the room without saying anything. There was blood on the sheets which came from the alleged victim's private parts. She brought the girl to the bathroom where she washed herself. Cross-examined by Mr Patrick Gageby SC (with Mr Patrick Marrinan) for the male accused, witness said the second rape incident she witnessed was shortly after the first time. She saw the nun hold her legs down on the second occasion. The alleged victim said to her "it's happening again". She told Mr Gageby she hadn't discussed the case with the alleged victim until she met her a few weeks ago. The alleged victim didn't know she had witnessed the incidents and was surprised to learn she had made a statement.
Witness said the alleged victim told her she didn't remember her coming into the room. "I actually snuck into the room and left the door slightly open while I stood and watched for a few moments," she said. When she demanded "what the f..." was going on she was told it had nothing to do with her. In further cross-examination by Mr Gageby, the witness agreed that in a long statement made to gardai, a year before a further statement, she had not mentioned the incidents she claimed in her evidence. She said this was because she wasn't asked and it hadn't occurred to her to tell the gardai until they came a year later and asked her about the male accused being in the centre and if she could remember an incident involving him and a child there. She agreed with Mr Gageby that the gardai came to her three or four times. She had remarked to another girl in the home years before that there was "something funny" going on concerning the alleged victim and the male accused.
The hearing continues before Mr Justice Carney.