Advertisement

Alleged rape victim denies watering down her knowledge of rugby players

Updated 16:45 A woman who claims she was raped by two Ireland rugby players has told their trial ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

12.55 2 Feb 2018


Share this article


Alleged rape victim denies wat...

Alleged rape victim denies watering down her knowledge of rugby players

Newstalk
Newstalk

12.55 2 Feb 2018


Share this article


Updated 16:45

A woman who claims she was raped by two Ireland rugby players has told their trial she was not attracted by celebrities and did not know who they were.

She has accused Ulster teammates Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding of raping her at a party in Jackson’s Belfast home in June 2016.

Advertisement

The woman’s second day of cross-examination saw footage of her second police interview during which she gave more detail about the lead up to the alleged rapes and her recollection of a woman walking in on them.

Paddy Jackson’s barrister accused her of watering down her knowledge of rugby and rugby players, but she denied that was the case.

She said she knew Jackson’s name and face because he’d been pointed out to her in a bar in October 2015, but she insisted she didn't follow Ulster or Ireland rugby.

Nightclub

Some footage from the VIP section of the nightclub where Jackson, Olding and two other men accused of various other charges were socialising on the night of the alleged rape was also shown to the jury.

She accepted she was drunk and appeared to be stumbling around in the footage, but denied being attracted to celebrities at the time and said she didn't even know who they were.

During the second police interview, she spoke about a brief conversation she had with Paddy Jackson in a taxi on the way back to his house.

She said the taxi was due to pick up another fare but took them and two other girls after Jackson told the driver who he was.

Watered down

She said she told the Ireland and Ulster rugby player she’d met him before in a pub she was working in Belfast city, but that he probably didn't remember.

At the party, she said she took a dislike to Blane McIlroy, the third accused man from Royal Lodge Road who denies one count of exposure.

She said he had two girls on his lap at one point and was taking photos.

A text from her friend before she went to the police advising her to pretend she didn’t know the men were rugby players was also read out, and she was asked if she had watered down her following of the sport or knowledge of rugby players.

She denied that was the case.


Share this article


Read more about

News

Most Popular