Man accused of sexually assaulting six young men has told his trial that he initially “lied” to gardai because of panic

By Eimear Dodd

A man accused of sexually assaulting six young men has told his trial that he initially “lied” to gardai because of panic.

The 59-year-old man has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault in relation to six complainants on dates between March 1991 and November 1997 at locations in Co. Dublin.

The man was in his 30s at the time of the alleged offences, while the six complainants were then aged between 17 and 24.

The accused told Anne-Marie Lawlor SC, prosecuting, yesterday that he decided to lie to gardai by denying any sexual encounter with any of the six complainants during his initial voluntary interviews.

“I’d call it a reaction”, he said, later adding that he accepted it was “not the correct decision to make”.

During cross-examination, Ms Lawlor put it to the man that he told “self-serving” lies to “protect his position”. “It can be interpreted that way”, he replied.

The man said he “lied” during interviews with gardai as he was “panicking”.

Ms Lawlor asked the accused if he is a “liar”. “I lied to gardai during interviews, but not generally” he said.

Earlier yesterday, the accused told defence counsel Michael O’Higgins SC that he initially denied any sexual interaction with all six of the complainants when interviewed by gardai.

He said this was “untrue” in relation to three of the complainants and he later provided two statements to gardai clarifying his position.

He said he denied any sexual contact initially because of “shame”.

“The idea of being charged with a sexual assault frightened me beyond reason. I went into a sort of blind panic about it all,” he said.

During cross-examination, Ms Lawlor put it to him that the second complainant was clear in his evidence that he woke up to the accused performing oral sex on him.

He said this complainant is “mistaken” when he says he was asleep at the time.

Ms Lawlor then asked the man about his account of the night the first complainant stayed at his house, when he allegedly sexually assaulted the then teenager.

He re-iterated his evidence that he has no idea why the first complainant left, but checked that his car was parked at his house the next morning as he was concerned.

She suggested to him that this complainant is the last in time, and the person who “blew the whistle”.

He said the then teenager was “very upset”.

The man denied telling a female friend that he made a “pass” at the teenager. He agreed with prosecuting counsel that it is his view that his friend “fabricated” this.

When asked about the evidence given by the third complainant, the man said “I’m not saying he is a liar, I’m saying I have no recollection of staying” at the home of another friend where the incident allegedly occurred.

He further denied that he “groomed” the fourth complainant, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident.

The man said it just “happened” and there was a “mutual” sexual interest.

He denied putting any pressure on the teenager.

Ms Lawlor asked the man if it is his position that the fifth complainant is a “fantasist”.

He replied that the complainant was “mistaken”as “it didn’t happen”, however, he accepted it is possible that he may have been at the pub where the sexual assault allegedly occurred.

He later denied “grooming” the sixth complainant adding “I don’t accept I groomed anyone”.

The accused agreed he initially lied to gardai when he had denied any sexual encounter with this complainant.

Re-iterating his direct evidence that he thought something “intimate” was going to happen with the then-teenager, the man agreed he performed oral sex.

He said “I don’t believe I sexually assaulted him…When it became clear, he didn’t want it, I stopped”.

Ms Lawlor asked him if he accepted that this complainant did not communicate anything to him about a sexual interest,  and he said he did.

He re-iterated his view that this complainant was not asleep at that time, but said he “misinterpreted” the situation.

He accepted he invited this student into his bed, “in my head, it was like a sleepover”.

“A sleepover with your student who idolised you?”, Ms Lawlor asked

“I wasn’t aware he idolised me,” the man replied.  He denied attempting anal sex with this teenager.

Ms Lawlor asked the man if it is his position that the six complainants are lying. “Mistaken in some cases”, he replied.

He outlined his view that several of the complainants were lying.

He said the third complainant is “mistaken”, but did not wish to call him a liar as they had been friends.

He said the first complainant is also “mistaken” and suggested he may have “gotten a fright” that night because he was in a “strange bed”.

Ms Lawlor put it to him that this complainant is “the person who called fire”, “the last in time and fifth person who alleges he woke up” to the accused performing oral sex on him.

She contended that the six complainants are telling the truth, that “you knew and lied to gardai”.

The man noted the “weight of the allegations, the horror of them”.

He agreed he lied to gardai, adding “it’s a horrific set of allegations to have made against you”.

He said he did not accept Ms Lawlor’s suggestion he was a “person who tells lies” and that he was lying to the jury.

Earlier yesterday, he told Mr O’Higgins during direct evidence that he provided these additional statements to gardai as he “wanted to tell the truth”.

“I kept thinking to myself ‘I’m not a liar’. I’m still trying to convince myself I’m not a bad person”.

He said he became “overreliant” on the fourth complainant for assistance between September 1995 and May 1996, adding that the “boundaries became blurred”.

He later added “I admit I was infatuated”.

He said this complainant stayed at his apartment in January 1996 and there was “some hugging”.

“I noticed he had an erection. I went down on him. He ejaculated, then he did the same for me and I ejaculated.”

This complainant previously told the jury that he awoke to the man performing oral sex on him.

The accused said “that’s not true because we were hugging and messing, I noticed he became aroused and I went down on him”.

Mr O’Higgins put to him that this complainant’s evidence was that he felt pressurised into performing oral sex on the man. “I never pressurised anyone to have an intimate relationship” he replied.

The man said this complainant stayed at his home on four occasions in total, but it ended because “it was inappropriate and extremely serious that this was happening. I began to get very upset about it, as I still am.”

He agreed he went to London with this complainant and another location in Ireland, but denied there was any sexual contact between them on these occasions.

The accused denied sexually assaulting the fifth complainant in a toilet of a pub. He also denied pinning the then-teenager against a wall.

The accused man was then asked to respond to the sixth complainant’s evidence to the jury.

He said that he shared a bed with the then-teenager.

He said he “felt his arm roll across me” then “I rubbed his leg”.

He said he “assummed rightly or wrongly that he wanted to engage in something intimate” and performed oral sex on this complainant, but stopped.

He also denied attempting to have anal sex with this complainant.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and the jury.