SEMEN FOUND IN ‘CROTCH AREA’

STUART OLDING

THE jury never heard that Stuart Olding’s semen was found on the crotch area of the complainant’s jeans, in case it would prejudice the case.

The jury was told the semen was found on her jeans, but the location of where it was discovered was not shared with them.

Mr Olding had originally been charged with vaginal rape, but this was dropped before Christmas, leaving the one count of oral rape, of which he was acquitted.

Mr Olding’s lawyer, Frank O’Donoghue QC, argued in the absence of the jury that if the jury was told the specific area, it might create an ‘unfair suspicion’ in their minds.

Judge Patricia Smyth agreed and ruled that allowing evidence of the presence of the semen on the crotch area would be overly prejudicial given the absence of a vaginal rape charge.

As a result, the jury only heard that semen matching the DNA profile of Mr Olding was found on clothing and underwear worn by the complainant. Samples taken from the woman’s pants, white jeans and black top were examined by a senior forensic officer who gave evidence to Belfast Crown Court.

The jeans were described in notes as ‘grubby and stained’, with blood matching samples from the alleged victim visible on areas including the thigh, knee and waistband, the forensic officer told the court.