A CHILDHOOD friend of Ireland and Ulster rugby player Paddy Jackson has told a court that the sportsman would be "the last person in the world" to rape anyone.
Rory Harrison (25) from Manse Road, Belfast, was giving evidence at Belfast Crown Court on Saturday.
Mr Harrison is charged with perverting the course of justice and withholding information in the aftermath of an alleged sex attack in the bedroom of Mr Jackson's Oakleigh Park home. He denies the charges.
Mr Harrison shared a taxi home with the alleged victim on the night in question. She was upset at the time but he insisted he did not know why.
"I thought she'd maybe been rejected by Patrick (Jackson)," he said.
Mr Jackson (26) and Stuart Olding (24) from Ardenlee Street, Belfast are accused of raping the woman on June 28 2016, while Mr Jackson has been further charged with sexually assaulting her. They both deny the charges.
Blane McIlroy (26) from Royal Lodge Road, Belfast has been charged with exposure - a charge he denies.
Mr Harrison was initially treated as a witness and provided a statement to police confirming leaving the complainant home at around 5am.
Questioned by his barrister Gavan Duffy QC, Mr Harrison was asked about his alcohol intake and admitted by the time his group left Ollie's nightclub to go back to Mr Jackson's home, he was "fairly drunk."
When asked if he observed anything about the complainant at the party, Mr Harrison said at one stage he noticed she was "sitting on the sofa staring at Patrick."
Mr Harrison said he was used to females staring at his friend on nights out "because he is recognisable, famous", adding "she was staring a bit longer than most people would".
He told the court: "I saw Patrick go up the stairs at some stage, possibly about an hour after we arrived back at the house.
"I thought he was going to bed. I noticed (the complainant) follow him up shortly after".
When questioned about his version of events, Mr Harrison said after two girls at the party left, he went upstairs to say goodbye to Mr Jackson and saw the complainant at the top of the stairs.
When asked by Mr Duffy "did you notice anything?", he replied: "Not really. I didn't pay much attention to her. Nothing drew my attention to her".
He said goodbye to his "half awake" friend then returned to the living-room. He said the woman entered the room and "she just seemed a bit upset."
Asked if there was any chat between them, Mr Harrison answered: "There was no backward and forward conversation. I might have asked if she was ok, but I'm not certain.
"I told her I would bring her home, and she agreed."
Mr Harrison said they left the house and headed to a nearby garage to get a taxi.
After Mr Duffy asked how her demeanour was, Mr Harrison said: "She was definitely a bit more upset. She was crying at that stage."
Earlier in the trial, the taxi driver who collected them gave evidence and said the woman was visibly upset. He also said he heard Mr Harrison on the phone and appeared to be talking in code, a suggestion rejected by Mr Harrison.
He was asked if he was aware what had caused the woman's upset.
Mr Harrison said he speculated "she may have been rejected by Patrick." And when asked if he "knew or believed she had raped", Mr Harrison said "no I did not".
After leaving her home, Mr Harrison sent her a message, which said 'keep your chin up, you wonderful young woman". When asked what he meant, he replied "she was clearly upset and I was just trying to be nice to her."
Mr Duffy also asked his client about a text he sent to Mr McIlroy which said the woman was 'in hysterics .. not going to end well'. He said this was "just a turn of phrase, a bit of an exaggeration."
He was quizzed about a text the woman sent him after the alleged incident, in which she said what happened with his friends 'was not consensual'. He replied with a text that said 'Jesus'.
Asked about this, Mr Harrison said: "My initial reaction was shock, that something had happened she was not consenting to. The more I thought about
it ... I have know Patrick since I was eight or nine.
"He is the last person in the world to rape someone. I didn't believe it. I thought she had maybe done something then regretted it."
When asked why he didn't tell Mr Jackson about the woman's text when the four friends met for lunch that afternoon, Mr Harrison said: "Because I didn't believe it. I didn't want to worry him about something I had absolutely no faith was true".
Turning to the evening his three co-defendants were arrested, Mr Harrison admitted telling Mr McIlroy to leave his phone at home if asked to attend the police station because "I was just aware police seize phones quite often, which is pretty inconvenient when you lose all your numbers, all your photos, that sort of stuff".
When asked if he was trying to impede the investigation, he replied: "No, I wasn't."
