Northern Ireland

Alleged rape victim denies 'watering down' knowledge of rugby players

Ulster and Ireland rugby player Paddy Jackson at Belfast Crown Court yesterday
Ulster and Ireland rugby player Paddy Jackson at Belfast Crown Court yesterday Ulster and Ireland rugby player Paddy Jackson at Belfast Crown Court yesterday

A woman who accuses two rugby players of raping her has denied "watering down" her knowledge of Ulster rugby or being attracted to celebrities.

The 21-year-old student has spent two days giving evidence from behind a screen at Belfast Crown Court.

Ireland and Ulster rugby player Paddy Jackson (26) and his teammate Stuart Olding (24) are accused of raping her in the bedroom of Jackson's south Belfast home in June 2016.

Jackson is also facing a charge of sexual assault.

The pair deny all the charges.

The court was played a video yesterday of CCTV footage taken from various locations at Ollie's nightclub on Waring Street in Belfast city centre in the early hours of Tuesday June 28 2016.

The alleged victim and her friends attended the club as they were out celebrating the end of exams, while also there were Jackson and a group of friends, as well as members of the Northern Ireland football team.

The woman, who was 19 at the time, has already told the court that she has no interest in Ulster rugby and has never been to a game.

However, she said that around six months prior to the alleged incident, she briefly met Jackson in a Belfast pub where she was working as a promotions girl.

The CCTV from Ollie's included footage from the VIP section, where the woman was seen socialising close to several Northern Ireland players.

At one stage she is seen briefly touching Kyle Lafferty's leg. She also held on to Will Grigg's arm for a short period as everyone was leaving the premises.

Jackson, Olding and two other co-defendants - Blane McIlroy (26) and 25-year old Rory Harrison - were at the same nightclub.

After leaving, the woman got into a taxi and went to Jackson's Oakleigh Park home for a party. Also in attendance were three other females she didn't know, and the four men standing trial.

The woman claimed that after consensually kissing Jackson, she was raped by both him and Olding, from Ardenlee Street.

She also claimed McIlroy entered the room naked and at this point her fight instinct kicked in and she fled.

McIlroy, from Royal Lodge Road in Belfast, has been charged with exposure while Harrison (25), from Manse Road, is accused of perverting the course of justice and withholding information.

Both men deny the charges.

Under cross-examination by Jackson's barrister Brendan Kelly, the woman was asked about Ollie's.

Reiterating that she had no interest in rugby, when she was asked whether she knew Jackson and other Ulster players were in the VIP area that night, she replied: "Not to my knowledge, no."

She added: "We didn't go into the VIP area with the intention of meeting a rugby player, if that's what you're insinuating."

In the aftermath of the alleged rape, the woman exchanged several text and WhatsApp messages with friends.

Mr Kelly read some of the texts to the court and jury. One of the woman's friends said in a text "just pretend you don't know they are from rugby" and "pretend you have never seen them before".

When asked, "Have you watered down either your following of rugby or your knowledge of the people who play?", the alleged victim answered: "Not at all. Mr Kelly, those words are not my words. I have no control over what my friend said. I have not watered down anything."

Mr Kelly then asked her if she had been planning to attend an after-party with members of the Northern Ireland football team, as she was talking to some players in Ollie's.

The barrister also asked her "were you attracted to celebrities at the time?", to which she replied: "No, I didn't even know who those people were."

When asked "But you knew who Paddy Jackson was?", she responded: "I knew his name, yes, and I knew what he looked like, yes."

The trial is due to resume on Monday.