Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GIRL DENIES ‘UNTRUTHS & SELF-DELUSION’
‘Victim’ quizzed by lawyer for man accused of exposing himself
THE woman at the centre of the Ulster Rugby rape trial yesterday denied having a false memory or being “self-delusional”.
The suggestion was put to her by a lawyer for Blane Mcilroy, 26, who is accused of exposing himself to her.
Arthur Harvey said at Belfast Crown Court: “You have an easy facility of moving from truth to untruth.”
THERE were heated scenes in court yesterday when it was suggested to an alleged rape victim that she displayed false memory and self-delusion.
The woman, 21, claims she was attacked by Ireland rugby stars Paddy Jackson, 26, and Stuart Olding, 24, in June 2016.
Former player Blane Mcilroy, 26, is accused of exposing himself to the alleged victim at the same house party while 25-year-old Rory Harrison denies perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Arthur Harvey QC for Mcilroy put to the complainant that she had sent a text to a friend after the night in question and said: “Like, guys just kept walking in trying to get involved.”
She told police Mcilroy had exposed himself to her and remarked at the time: “You f***ed the other guys so why won’t you f**k me?”
But his QC put to the complainant that there were discrepancies in accounts of her version of events to police and staff at a medical clinic.
Mr Harvey put it to the complainant that Mcilroy’s actions were triggered by something she had done to him.
Mr Harvey said: “It came from something you did to Mr Mcilroy.” He added the witness had told his client: “Yous’uns aren’t even wearing condoms.”
She told the court: “That is absolutely incorrect.
“Mr Harvey, this is a rape case. I think I would have remembered if anything had happened with Mcilroy.
“If he had touched me I would have made it abundantly clear to police.”
Mr Harvey said Mcilroy believed she had left the bedroom in Jackson’s house with a feeling of regret.
She replied: “That is not how it played out. I refute everything you said there. He blocked my exit. I had to push past him.”
And she told Mr Harvey that claims of her willing participation with Mcilroy, whom she yesterday described as “extremely intimidating”, did not happen. She added: “I don’t know why your client is stating it did.”
Mr Harvey told her: “It would have been the simplest thing in the world to prevent you leaving would it not.”
She responded: “He could have used violence, he could have hit me to prevent me leaving. I had to push past him. He was blocking the exit.”
Counsel added: “Your memory was either clouded by drink or an unwillingness to admit to what happened in having sex with a number of men.
“Any call you made that night for help would have been heard.”
The witness told counsel: “That is not how I responded while I was being raped – I froze.”
Mr Harvey said: “You have an easy facility of moving from truth to untruth, truth to self-delusion about events that do not correspond with reality.”
It was also put to her, under cross- examination, that she could not remember everything that happened that night.
The woman agreed parts of her memory were “fractured”, maybe due to the influence of alcohol.
She said: “Yes there are moments of the night that are fractured. There were very clear, precise moments that I can remember.”
Earlier when asked to explain discrepancies he claimed appeared in statements by the complainant, Mr Harvey said she had reported how his client appeared in the bedroom naked, but in another account claimed his trousers were down.
Mr Harvey asked: “How is that anything other than a false memory?”
She said: “It’s recounted incorrectly – he was naked.”
The alleged victim added when she was giving her statements, she was “just trying to get through everything”.
The lawyer put it to her: “I suggest that this has to be a false memory.”
Earlier, he told the complainant she had joined three other women for a party at Jackson’s home after a night out at Ollie’s nightclub in Belfast. Counsel said the women in question were playing out a modern social trend by taking selfies while sitting on the knees of some of the men.
He put it to the complainant: “They were saying, ‘Look at me’ in the current modern trend. That’s all those girls were doing. One put out their tongue.
“They were basically three girls out for a good time that night and getting attention. Why call them, ‘coming on slutty?’” She responded there were a number of reasons why she wanted to leave the house that night.
Mr Harvey told her she had stated to the PSNI: “They were taking photos on guys’ knees and I wasn’t interested in participating in any of that.”
He suggested to her she had sought to create a narrative to personally serve the case she was seeking to make, including details of three women who attended the house party.
She said: “I remember speaking to those girls outside Ollie’s.” Counsel
There are very clear, precise moments that I can remember ALLEGED VICTIM BELFAST CROWN COURT YESTERDAY