Alleged Rape Victim Breaks Down In Court As Irish Rugby Stars’ Trial Continues
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Day two.
The trial of Ulster and Ireland rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding continued today, with the alleged victim breaking down as she told a court of the moment she was pushed onto a bed and allegedly raped, The Belfast Telegraph reports.
The 21-year old alleged victim, who cannot be named to protect her identity, told a jury at Belfast Crown Court that she told Ireland outhalf Jackson “I don’t want this to happen”, but “he kept going.”
The young woman alleges she was raped by the Ulster player in the bedroom of his home in the city after a night out in Belfast, and that during the sex attack she “froze.”
When she was asked if anything had initially occurred between herself and Jackson back at the house, she said:
“Yes, we kissed. It was completely consensual but it was instigated by Patrick Jackson.”
“He tried to undo my trousers, but I told him firmly I wasn’t interested and went back down the stairs.”
She says she then returned to the room to fetch her clutch back which she had left behind.
“The image I have stuck in my head is of Patrick Jackson standing at the foot of the bed. I’m not sure whether that was before or after I got my clutch. After already telling him I didn’t want to do anything further with him, he grabbed my trousers by the waistband.” she said
“He undid them and pulled then down to my knees. In that moment you think you are going to kick and scream and fight, but it doesn’t work that way.
“I just froze. I knew where this was going but … it just happened so quickly. The next thing I remember is, he pushed me down on the bed. Because I was wearing white trousers, they were quite tight so when he pulled then down, they caught on my knees. I couldn’t actually move.
“After that it just went so quickly. The next thing I remember is lying face down on the bed and he was having sex with me.”
When asked by Mr Hedworth if Jackson said anything, she answered:
“No. I tried to push his hand away when he started. Verbally, I had already told him I didn’t want things going any further. There was nothing about me physically that was telling him to keep going.
“I knew I didn’t want this to happen, but he kept going.”
The woman said Stuart Olding then came into the bedroom. She said:
“My heart sank. I knew what was going to happen. I looked Patrick Jackson straight in the eye and said ‘please no, not him as well.’ The next thing I remember is my trousers are off. Patrick Jackson was behind me having sex and Stuart Olding was forcing me to give him oral sex.”
A third man (Blane McIlroy) then later allegedly entered the room naked and tried to join in. At this point the alleged victim managed to get off the bed, telling the court and jury:
“It was at that point that my fight instinct kicked in. There was not a chance I was letting that happen again.”
Describing McIlroy’s stance as “so aggressive”, the woman claimed that as she was leaving the bedroom, she said: “How many times does it take for a girl to say no, for it to sink in.”
“I ran down the stairs and out of the house.”
When asked if she reported the matter to police immediately, the woman said she didn’t, as she felt her story wouldn’t be believed.
And when asked what made her change her mind, she replied:
“Because the more I thought about it .. rape is a game of power and control. They rely on your silence, and you take the power back over the situation when you actually do something about it.”
“Going to the police meant I was doing something about it, I was preventing it happening to someone else.”
All four men have denied the charges against them, with the case set to go on for five weeks. Y0u can read more about day two of the trial here.
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