Court told rape accused threatened to kill alleged victim's family

Wednesday 11 January 2023

A 28-year-old man accused of raping a woman four times would watch her from a tree outside her house, and allegedly threatened to kill her family if she reported him, the Royal Court was told yesterday.

David Sullivan, who denies all charges, was also said to have "carved" his alleged victim's body with a piercing needle.

The trial opened on Monday, with the Royal Court being told that Mr Sullivan had put a pillow over the complainant's face during one of the alleged rapes.

Yesterday, the alleged victim gave evidence from behind a screen. She told a jury that Mr Sullivan had said "he would go for my family, that he would bring people's heads on a plate."

She also said that she sometimes felt trapped in her home, as Mr Sullivan would allegedly sit for long periods in a nearby tree.

Answering questions from Crown Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, the complainant said the rapes had included starting to have sex with her while she was asleep and committing a sex act on her against her will.

She said: "I felt trapped and embarrassed."

She eventually went to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre where bruises, scratches and injuries were discovered, some of which she said she had sustained when he had pinned her down.

She was interviewed at the centre by Police, which she said left her feeling "relieved but scared and nervous," she recalled.

The alleged victim admitted that she and Mr Sullivan had had consensual sex that was sometimes rough.

Cross-examining the alleged victim, Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, said: "There was never a time when Mr Sullivan had sex with you when you were asleep. That's right, isn't it?"

She replied: "No, it's not. It's not okay, when someone's asleep, to do that to them."

Commissioner Sir John Saunders was presiding. The trial continues today.