Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Girl 'raped every week by father'

Girl 'raped every time she visited her father'

Coleraine courthouse The alleged victim told Coleraine Crown Court she was sexually abused between the age of six and 14

A young girl was raped every time she stayed at her father's house, a court in County Londonderry has heard.

The alleged victim also told Coleraine Crown Court that her father and uncle occasionally took turns to rape her, sometimes recording the abuse on video.

The allegations came on day two of the trial of three men accused of sexually abusing two siblings during the 1990s.

They allege they were abused by their father, uncle and a family friend, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The alleged victims are a brother and sister from Northern Ireland.

On day two of the trial, the defence completed its cross-examination of the alleged male victim.

A defence lawyer asked him why he had not made a full disclosure of the abuse to social services in 1997.

The witness replied it had become obvious to him that a social worker he had spoken to did not believe his claims.

His sister then took the witness stand.

Her voice breaking with emotion, she told the court her father began to sexually abuse her when she was six years old.

She said that he continued to abuse her on a frequent basis over the next eight years.

'Cruelty'

The witness added that after her parents separated she was raped on a weekly basis during visits to her father's home.

She said the abuse got worse over the eight-year period and by the time she was 14, she was being raped during house parties at his property.

The witnessed also claimed she had suffered serious physical abuse, saying her father had stubbed out cigarettes on her stomach and back.

She told the court that her father had referred to her as his "ashtray".

Between them, the three defendants are facing 56 charges, including multiple counts of rape, gross indecency and cruelty.

The accused cannot be named in order to protect the identities of the alleged victims.


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