Two men deny rape charges in Cork tour bus trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A 35-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to rape, oral rape, sexual assault and false imprisonment. A 44-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to anal rape and false imprisonment on the same occasion.

The proceedings were reported on 17 January 2018. The alleged offences occurred on a hired tour bus at an unknown location in Cork city on 27 June 2014. The complainant was 19 at the time.

The complainant alleged that a man known as “cap guy” blocked her from leaving the bus, brought her upstairs and raped her orally and vaginally. She alleged that another, larger man also raped her. The prosecution case is that the men were the 35-year-old and 44-year-old accused respectively.

Tour bus driver Patrick Bushby told the jury that he saw a woman talking to the 35-year-old accused. He said the bus later shook for about 20 minutes, as if there was a disco upstairs, although he could not hear music.

Earlier in the trial, Sean Guerin SC, defending the 35-year-old man, said his client accepted that he had sex with the complainant and that she performed oral sex on him, but did not accept that consent was absent.

The trial was continuing before Mr Justice Paul Butler and a jury. The accused men cannot be identified for legal reasons.