Former Irish international rugby player turned politician accused of sex abuse

TUV councilor for Ballymena David Tweed accused of indecent assault of a minor over nine years

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

7 Comments

Former Ireland rugby international David Tweed

Photo by BBC

Tweet

Former Ireland rugby international David Tweed has appeared in court in County Antrim charged with the indecent assault of a child.

He is accused of abusing a girl, who is now an adult, on a number of occasions over a nine year period.

Tweed, who once played rugby for the Republic of Ireland and the province of Ulster, is now a Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) councilor for Ballymena. During his international days he was outspoken as a staunch unionist.

The case has been ongoing but it has not been reported on due to legal restrictions, according to the BBC.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been cross-examined by the defense.

Now an adult, she told the court that she had made the original complaint at Coleraine police station in 2007. The judge sought clarification and said that despite an extensive search no record of her visit to the Coleraine station could be found.

When asked why she had not mentioned the sexual abuse during the statement given in 2007, she said she was worried about how her future husband would react.

The news site 4ni.co.uk added that she “didn’t want her family and friends to know,”

She told the court that she had only decided to bring the abuse case to the police after months of counseling. The trial continues.

Print

E-mail

Tweet