Man accused of raping woman appears before court in Derry

Robin Curry (25) of Avish Road in Eglinton has been charged with rape, inflicting grievous bodily harm on the female and false imprisonment on April 3.

The court was told today that the alleged injured party had contacted police two days prior to say she had been assaulted by the accused.

She attended Altnagelvin Hospital and had ‘significant bruising to her eyes and nose’, the court heard.

The woman told police she met the defendant on a dating site and they had gone on a date on March 21.

She said they had arranged to meet again and she planned to make a meal for him at her home.

Police said the woman and Curry met in town and had gone to her home where the defendant allegedly became ‘aggressive and controlling’.

The woman claimed Curry would not eat and was drinking wine very rapidly.

She claimed he stopped her from taking her phone to the bathroom and followed her there, headbutted her twice and started choking her and covered her mouth with his hand.

The police officer said that the alleged victim was in ‘genuine fear for her life’ but allegedly managed to persuade him to let her go. He then allegedly started making demands and told her to go upstairs to have sex which she did due, it was claimed, to her fear of him.

Curry was alleged then to have told the woman if she told anyone what had happened he would kill himself. He was also said to have started to cry and left the woman’s house the next afternoon.

The woman contacted a friend who told her to go to the police.

Bail was opposed as the police officer said Curry had 12 previous convictions, some for violence. She said there had been other assaults with a similar modus operandi and she believed he posed ‘a grave risk to the general public and females in particular.’

Defence counsel Stephen Mooney asked had his client denied all the allegations and was told he had.

He asked had Curry claimed the woman had marks under her eyes when he met her and was told he had said that.

Applying for bail, Mr. Mooney said that it could be 18 months before this case was dealt with.

Curry was granted bail by Deputy District Judge Laura Ivers who said she was taking an ‘exceptional course’.

Curry must wear a tag, observe a curfew, refrain from alcohol and is not allowed to enter Derry City.

The defendant wil appear again on May 6.