A woman who claims she was raped by two Ireland rugby players is due to be cross-examined by their lawyers today.
The victim claims Paddy Jackson and his Ulster teammate Stuart Olding raped her at Mr. Jackson’s home in south Belfast in June 2016.
During her direct evidence yesterday, the woman went through her recollection of what happened at Mr. Jackson’s home in the early hours of June 28th 2016.
She said there were a few people there listening to music, but she wasn’t drinking at the house, only dancing a little.
At some point, she said Jackson instigated a kiss upstairs in his bedroom and she completely consented to it but firmly told him she didn’t want things to go any further.
Despite this, she claims he later pushed her on to his bed and raped her before Stuart Olding came in and forced himself on her.
The unnamed woman said she just froze but found her ‘fighting instinct’ when a third man, Blane McIlroy from Royal Lodge Road in Belfast walked in naked.
The 21-year-old then said the fourth accused man, Rory Harrison, from Manse Road in Belfast followed her outside and brought her home in a taxi.
She said he couldn’t have done enough for her, but the prosecution claims his ‘apparent gallantry’ wasn’t genuine and he’s on trial for allegedly trying to cover up what happened.
The woman’s cross-examination is due to begin today.
