Third week of testimony in the case that has gripped NI

MONDAY: The woman at the centre of the case was accused of having a memory “clouded by drink or clouded by an unwillingness to acknowledge what happened”. Barrister for Blane McIlroy, Arthur Harvey QC, said the alleged victim had “simply had sex with a number of men after going to their home without an invitation”.

He suggested she “had regrets” about what had happened.

The woman, who was aged 19 at the time of the alleged attack, said: “That’s not how the situation played out. I refute everything you have said.”

TUESDAY: A witness who walked in on the alleged rape told Belfast Crown Court she thought she had seen a threesome. Dara Florence, who did not know the alleged victim, said she had gone into the room looking for a friend.

When asked about the noise she had heard from outside the room, she said: “It wasn’t distressed or anything like that. I didn’t know if it was sexual.”

The court heard that in her initial police statement Ms Florence said: “When I left the room I did not feel that I had just witnessed a rape.” Barrister for Paddy Jackson, Brendan Kelly QC, asked: “Is that still correct?” She replied: “Yes.”

WEDNESDAY: Belfast Crown Court heard from the complainant’s friend, who told how the pair had gone in search of the rape crisis centre the morning after the alleged attack, only to find it had closed down. They went instead to a sexual health clinic, the witness said.

The court heard messages exchanged between the friends earlier that morning, in which the alleged victim said: “I’d report it if I knew they’d get done but they won’t”, adding, it would be “embarrassing” and lead to “unnecessary stress”.

The friend told the jury how she advised the complainant to get a “full screening” and “counselling” even if she didn’t want “anything official”.

THURSDAY: Continuing, the same witness told the court a message she sent to the complainant about how she would “blackmail” a man if she was ever raped was “clearly a joke”. The message, written for “humour purposes”, was sent less than two weeks before the alleged attack. The jury heard about messages sent to the complainant by another friend the morning after the incident, which read: “Pretend you don’t know they are from Ulster Rugby. Pretend you’d never seen them before.”

Explaining her messages, the witness said: “The meaning behind that was it doesn’t matter what someone’s profession is. Rape is rape.” She added: “I would never have told my friend to lie. Never.”