A 19 year old woman who claims her mother’s ex partner from Clare sexually abused her as a child has been giving evidence at his trial.
The 40 year old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, denies a total of 18 charges against the girl who was eight when the alleged abuse began.
The jury at the Central Criminal Court also heard from the alleged victim’s mother who says her former partner admitted the allegations when confronted.
On day two of the case before Justice John Edwards, the now 19 year old woman told prosecuting council that some time after her mother had met and started a relationship with the accused, she and her brother travelled to Co. Clare with him to stay with his mother at Christmas.
She said the accused touched her in her private parts in a bedroom in the house on Christmas Day 1998 when she was eight and then when the family went to live in the county the abuse continued on many occasions in the different houses they lived in, and also in a lorry owed by the 40 year old.
She also told the jury she was too scared to tell her mum, the atmosphere in the home could be violent, and that she became depressed and made several suicide attempts.
Under cross examination by the defence the 19 year old rejected a suggestion that there was no sexual wrongdoing by the 40 year old…that he never admitted the allegations or apologised.
The alleged victim’s mother also told the court that she confronted the accused after a conversation with her daughter in 2005, that he denied it at first but said she was not giving him what he wanted and he had to get it from somewhere
She added that he later went to her daughter’s bedroom and she heard him say sorry to her.
The case continues
