Any sex was consensual, drug rape accused (26) tells court

A CRAIGAVON man accused of drug rape “wholly denies” the offences against him, a solicitor has declared.

As 26-year-old Colin Barry McGeown appeared in the dock of Craigavon Magistrates Court, defence solicitor Chris McCann said it was the defendant’s case that any sexual activity with the alleged victim “was consensual”.

Confirming he understood the four charges against him, McGeown, with an address on the Charlestown Road, Derrytrasna, was charged with two counts of rape and another of false imprisonment.

He was also accused of administering a substance, namely “white powder, knowing that she did not consent and with the intention of stupefying or overpowering her so as to enable a person to engage in sexual activity with her”.

All offences are alleged to have been committed on Saturday.

It is understood the charges arose following an alleged incident in a house in the Garvaghy Park area of Portadown on Friday night or Saturday morning.

Giving evidence to the court yesterday, a detective constable testified that he believed he could connect McGeown to each of the offences and that police were “vehemently opposed” to him being freed on bail.

He revealed that due to “rising community tensions there’s a severe threat to the defendant’s safety so bail is opposed”.

Under cross-examination from Mr McCann, the officer further revealed that following the alleged incident, relatives of the complainant “attended prior to the police attending” and were arrested af- ter they allegedly assaulted an individual.

The officer confirmed that during police interviews McGeown “gave an account that any sexual activity was consensual” and that in a pre-prepared statement he told police “that for around an hour afterwards he was in the living room with the complainant with her sitting on his knee and kissing him” before she left in an “undistressed manner”.

“It’s a consent case,” said Mr McCann. “Mr McGeown wholly denies the allegations and doesn’t know why the allegations have been made.”

He said while police agreed a proposed bail address “about eight miles” away was suitable, District Judge Bernie Kelly told the lawyer that given what the officer had disclosed about the alleged assault, “it would need to be some considerable distance away before he could rejoice in some degree of anonymity that would provide some degree of protection where people don’t know him or know who he is”.

“We are talking about a small local area where I would guess that everybody knows everybody else,” said the judge.

The bail application was adjourned and a short time later Mr McCann returned to court with an alternative address, not disclosed in the open court, but outside the County Court jurisdiction.

Freeing McGeown on his own bail of £500 with a £1,000 surety, Judge Kelly barred him from alcohol, from abusing drugs and from contacting the alleged victim. He also imposed a curfew.

The judge also moved the case to a different Magistrates Court, with McGeown to appear on March 20.

❝ Mr McGeown wholly denies the allegations and doesn’t know why the allegations have been made