Rape accused tells jury he had consensual sex with teen girls

A MALE accused of raping three teenage girls has taken the stand at Belfast Crown Court to deny the charges.

After a prosecuting barrister closed the Crown’s case to a jury of seven men and five women, the accused’s barrister called his client to the witness stand.

The accused, who was aged between 15 and 16 at the time of the alleged offences, cannot be named due to his age.

He has been charged with raping a 16-year-old girl in a south Belfast park in July 2020, raping and sexually assaulting a second 16-year-old at a party in his house in May 2021 and raping a 14-yearold at a beach in July 2022.

He has denied all charges and after being called to the stand by his barrister Richard Mcconkey KC, he confirmed he attended school in Belfast and was in Lower Sixth when arrested by police.

Mr Mcconkey questioned him about all three incidents and while he accepted he had sexual intercourse with all three he said all sexual acts were fully consensual.

He was questioned first about the incident in the south Belfast park. In her evidence, this girl claimed that after going for a walk with the accused in a wooded area, he led her to a tree, bent her over, pulled down her leggings and underwear then had sex with her.

She said: “I didn’t want it to happen. I asked him to stop and he ignored it. I had never had sex before. I felt uncomfortable. I was confused.”

When asked about this complainant, the accused said he was 15 at the time and knew her via Snapchat. He also said that before meeting, they had sent each other explicit photos.

He confirmed he had been in the park with her and had gone for a walk with her. He said they kissed in the wooded area, that she performed oral sex on him briefly and then when he asked her if she wanted to have sex, she replied, ‘Yeah, okay.’

When asked by Mr Mcconkey if the girl asked him to stop, the accused said “no.” He was then asked if at any stage the girl “said no to you during sex”, and he again replied “no”.

Mr Mcconkey then asked if he raped the girl in the park and he again said “no”.

The accused was then questioned about the second alleged incident at his house in May 2021.

He confirmed he knew this complainant from school. She has claimed that he sexually assaulted her in the bathroom then raped her in his bedroom.

Denying anything happened in the bathroom, the accused said she had just split up from her boyfriend.

He told court: “She told me it was quite a hard break-up and she thought the only way she would move forward was a rebound.

“I wanted to clarify what a rebound was and she said to go with another boy ... and I suggested I could be her rebound.”

He said they then went up to his bedroom then they had sex on his bed, which was interrupted when another girl walked into the room.

When asked by Mr Mcconkey if he had picked the lock in the bathroom then sexually assaulted the girl — as she claimed — he replied “no”.

And when asked if he raped her in his bedroom, the accused once again replied “no”.

Mr Mcconkey then asked about the third alleged incident which occurred in a wooded area at a Co Down beach in July 2021.

A 14-year-old girl claimed that after spending the day at the beach with friends, she met the accused walking back to the train station.

She later told police she was forced onto her front and raped by the accused, and that she said ‘no’ at least seven times.

Questioned about this day, the accused confirmed he had been at the beach with friends that day and “bumped into” the girl — who he had “flirted” with and exchanged “nudes” with previously on Snapchat — as he walked back to the train.

He said that after chatting on the path, they then went into a wooded area. He claimed she started kissing him and that he “kissed her back”.

The accused told the jury she started performing oral sex on him, that she “just sort of stopped” and when asked what happened next, he said: “I asked if she wanted to do anything else and she said ‘yes’ and she suggested that we have sex.”

Mr Mcconkey asked his client: “What was your response?”

He answered: “I said yeah, okay.”

He claimed that after consensual sex, he threw a condom into bushes then they walked up to the train station but parted company before reaching the halt.

He also said following this, they continued messaging on Snapchat.

Mr Mcconkey asked if he raped her, and the accused said he didn’t. The barrister then asked “did she, during sex, scream or ask you to stop?”, to which he replied “no”.

During yesterday’s hearing, a police officer confirmed that the accused had a clear criminal record.