Trial begins of man who denies rape charge

A Donegal man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of a raping his ex-girfriend in the county almost six years ago.
The man has pleaded not guilty to raping the now 26-year-old woman on July 1, 2004.
Mr Alex Owens SC (with Mr Paul Greene SC), prosecuting, said it was the State’s case that the accused and the complainant had been going out with each other for four years prior to the alleged incident and had a young child together.
They had been living together but the previous Sunday she had asked him to leave following a fall out. Four days later she came downstairs sometime after midnight, having heard noises, and found the accused there.
Mr Owens said it would be the State’s case that the accused had drink taken. He asked the complainant if they could get back together and suggested they go for counselling.
She asked him to leave a number of times and rang a taxi for him but he stayed on. An argument broke out when the taxi arrived to take him away but he sent it off.
Mr Owens told the jury it would hear evidence that the man accused the complainant of having affairs with other women before a fight broke out between them which led to him raping her on the floor, having ripped her underwear.
“Against her objections he had sex with her, without her consent and he knew it was without her consent,” Mr Owens said.
He said the jury would hear from the complainant that after a short time, she managed to get herself together and eventually got the accused to leave.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of six men and six women.