THE trial opened at Letterkenny Circuit Court today of an east Donegal man charged with sexually assaulting his friend’s girlfriend after a night out together.
The man, who is in his thirties and cannot be named for legal reasons, denies assaulting the woman as she lay asleep in bed with her boyfriend at a Letterkenny house in the early hours of May 17, 2010.
The woman, who now lives overseas, gave evidence by video link before a jury of five men and seven women.
She described how she went drinking with friends at 6pm the previous day while both men played football together.
They ended up in a local nightclub where they left to go home at around 2.30 am the following morning in a taxi.
The woman said she went upstairs to bed with her boyfriend, fell asleep and was awoken at around 3:30 am by someone touching her breasts, side and bottom.
However, she panicked when she realised it was not her boyfriend, but the defendant, who was staying in the house that night.
The court heard her boyfriend woke up and told the man to “get out.”
Defending barrister, Mr Peter Nolan, told the woman she was “making it up” and that the accused and her boyfriend went on a day-long binge the next morning.
The woman strenuously denied she was making it up and said she never forgave her boyfriend for going drinking with the accused, but that they are now back together again.
The trial will resume tomorrow morning when the woman’s boyfriend will also give evidence by video link. It is expected to conclude by lunchtime.
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