A woman has told an Irish celebrity defamation trial that she was 16 before she engaged in any sexual activity, reports Breaking News.
The 40-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child under the age of 17 in Dublin between August and December 2010.
On Monday, the first day of the trial at Dublin Criminal Court, the young woman told prosecutor Elise Brennan SC that she was 16 and on holiday in July 2010 when she went to the Oxygen music festival with a friend.
The complainant said they sent messages and spoke on the phone over the following weeks, including while she was in the Gaeltacht.
The young woman told Ms Brennan that she initially told the man she was 18, but during the conversation, it became clear she was not.
“He told me his age was 27 and that I was too young for him. I thought that this is over,” reports Breaking News.
She said they went to the man’s place of work because he wanted to buy something.
She said the man kissed her on the stairs of that building and then “gently pushed me down to perform oral sex, which I did,” reports Breaking News.
She said that a day or two later he sent her a message asking if she could keep the secret. She agrees and they continue talking.
The woman agreed with Ms Brennan that they remained in contact after the incident.
She said they kissed before mutual oral sex and masturbation. She added that she thought he had been at her house for 30 minutes to an hour.
The woman told the court that after she turned 17, she continued to date the man from time to time.
She said they met at the hotel bar where the man was staying and then went to his room, where they engaged in oral sex and masturbation, reports Breaking News.
However, when questioned by the prosecutor, the witness said he “can’t really” recall any details about the date, but said it had been a busy day with “all hands on deck”, reports Breaking News.
The trial continued before Judge Pauline Codd and a jury.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.