Man goes on trial accused of raping girl when he was a teenager

A man from County Donegal has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with rape and sexual assault. He is accused of attacking a younger girl in a nightclub toilet in Donegal Town on December 23, 2010, when he was aged 15. The complainant was 14 at the time. The defendant, who is entitled to anonymity, has pleaded not guilty to both charges. During evidence, the woman testified that the accused pushed her into the female toilets and assaulted her in a cubicle without consent. She told the court she reported the matter to gardaí seven months later, and that her life was significantly affected afterwards, including leaving school and self-harm. The defence contested her account, suggesting the encounter was consensual and escalated beyond the pair's intentions. The accused told gardaí he had no recollection of being in the toilet. The trial, before Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan and a jury, continues.