Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW’
Court hears what doctor told alleged rape victim
A DOCTOR who examined a woman allegedly raped by two Ulster Rugby players told her “nobody is above the law”, a court heard yesterday.
A friend of the woman said the medic urged her to go to the police.
The witness told Belfast Crown Court her pal eventually did so because she “didn’t want this to happen to anyone else”.
Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding deny raping the then 19-year-old.
A WOMAN who alleges she was raped by two Ulster Rugby players reported them to police as “she didn’t want this to happen to anyone else”, a court heard yesterday.
The trial was told that over a two-day period the then 19-year-old was urged to speak to the PSNI, initially by friends and then by a doctor who examined her.
However, a witness claimed she was reluctant, saying she did not want her family to find out and that she feared a backlash from Ulster
Rugby over bringing the reputation of top players into question.
One friend texted her: “It doesn’t matter what someone’s profession is, rape is rape.”
And the doctor told her, “Nobody is above the law”, adding: “They should be reported for the crime.”
She finally agreed to attend a police station on June 30, 2016, after suffer-ing a panic attack over concerns of bumping into the accused in Belfast.
The woman’s friend yesterday told the city’s Crown Court she arranged to take her to the Rowan sexual health clinic a day after the alleged incident.
She said: “She had a largeish hold-all bag with a plastic bag inside with her clothes from the night before.
“It was the first time I’d seen her face-to-face. We both looked at each other and I asked if she was OK and she burst into tears.
“She appeared emotionally upset and she looked physically unwell. I’d never seen her cry before. She is emotionally a very private person. She was very emotional and I’d never seen her like that before.
EXAMINATION
“She explained she wasn’t OK. I asked her if there was a chance she could be pregnant but there wasn’t because she had been to the Brook clinic. I learned later she had had the morning-after pill.”
At the centre the women were introduced to a doctor and an examination was arranged.
The witness told the court: “To preserve her dignity I said I would step outside and stepped into the disabled toilet in the examination room. I could tell she was in pain but I can’t remember if that was from something she said or noises that I heard of discomfort.
“When I came out I saw blood on the table she had been examined on and there was a bag with a bloodied tampon and a bag with her clothes in it.
“The doctor urged her to report it to the police and she explained she had
concerns with that. No names were included, no names were given in expressing her concern but she did say one of the people involved was publicly known and that made her nervous about going to the police.
“The doctor said, ‘Nobody is above the law’ and he said they should be reported for the crime.
“I took her home and told her I’d like to see her tomorrow and do something. I wanted to provide emotional support for her going forward.”
The following day the women went to the cinema in Belfast but the complainant appeared to become panicked and left.
The witness told the court: “I’d wanted to help take her mind off things but she became panicked and flustered for fear of seeing Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding in the vicinity of the cinema.
“She didn’t want to be there. We had bought our tickets. I urged her to go to the police and report the incident. She voiced the same concerns from the day before but then realised it wasn’t right because she didn’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
The women contacted police and were advised to go to the PSNI station on Lisburn Road, South Belfast. The witness said: “We drove over and went inside and reported the incident. I sat in the interview room with her.”
Asked in cross-examination if the alleged victim had presented any physical injuries, she agreed she had seen no evidence but told the court the complainant had been wearing a longsleeved top.
She added: “She was sitting gingerly because of the discomfort she was having. She was very uncomfortable.” Earlier, another friend of the alleged victim told the court she had begged her to ignore the rugby players’ profession and report them to the police, telling her “rape is rape”. After receiving a text from the complainant about the attack, she texted her back saying: “I’m literally begging you to go to the hospital/ police.”
She responded: “I think I will go get screened and th e morning after but
She was very emotional, I’d never seen her like that WITNESS BELFAST COURT YESTERDAY
I’ll not go to the police – it’s not worth it. I don’t like the PSNI and mentioning Ulster, things could get messy.”
Her friend advised her: “Just pretend you don’t know who they are. Don’t bring up the Ulster team, bring up names. What they do is irrelevant.”
Asked in cross-examination by Brendan Kelly QC if she would encourage her friend to lie to the police, the witness replied: “I would never have told my friend to lie, never. The meaning behind it was it doesn’t matter what someone’s profession is, rape is rape.”
She said she advised the alleged victim: “Don’t acknowledge that they play rugby, don’t bring it up, it’s irrelevant.” A PSNI constable who took the woman’s first police statement claimed the conversation had been “very difficult”.
He said: “She was very reluctant to give me the details of what had happened and if she was prepared to take the matter any further.
“Her reluctance was that she told me at the time these are high-profile people and she initially wouldn’t identify them to me.
“She told me she had been at a party and didn’t mention any names. She told me she had been to Ollie’s nightclub.
“My stepdaughter had been out and had seen some rugby players that night. I was aware the Ulster Rugby socialised there and I suspected it might be Ulster. I asked were the people involved rugby players and she said they were.
“Initially she didn’t want to name the people but she named Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding and Blane Mcilroy.
“She said she was concerned about publicity and absolutely did not want her family to know about it.”
Four men have been charged in connection with the allegations.
Jackson, 26, from Oakleigh Park, Belfast, is charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault. Olding, 24, from Ardenlee Street, Belfast, is also charged with rape.
Mcilroy, 26, of Royal Lodge Road, Belfast, is charged with one count of exposure.
Rory Harrison, 25, of Manse Road, Belfast, is charged with perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Each of the men deny all charges against them. The trial continues.
She was very reluctant to give me the details of what had happened PSNI OFFICER BELFAST COURT YESTERDAY