Man cleared of rape after accuser admits lying

Lee Haughian denied rape and was acquitted at Belfast Crown Court

A man from County Down has been acquitted of raping a woman at knifepoint after she admitted she had lied to police.

Lee Haughian, from Oldtown Lane in Annalong in County Down, consistently denied raping the woman, who he met through an escort website in August 2023.

During the second day of the trial at Belfast Crown Court, the woman admitted lying to police about elements of her complaint against 25-year-old Mr Haughian, and that she had deleted text messages between them.

A prosecution barrister said "upon reflection" the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) no longer felt the test for prosecution had been met.

Stanley knife claim

The woman claimed that after letting Mr Haughian into her home in Belfast, the pair went upstairs to her bedroom where he shoved her on the bed, told her he wasn't paying her and raped her twice.

She also alleged he produced a Stanley knife and held the blade to her throat whilst raping her.

Mr Haughian said he had sex with the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - but said it was consensual.

During cross examination in court on Tuesday, a defence barrister suggested there were several inconsistencies in the woman's account to police.

He suggested that after Mr Haughian refused to pay her for her services as she was menstruating, she had made up the allegations of rape as "payback".

He asked her about a series of text messages she and Mr Haughian exchanged before he called to her home and she accepted she had deleted them.

The woman claimed that as she was being raped she screamed several times.

CCTV footage spanning the period of the alleged incident from a neighbour's camera was then played which picked up sounds in the street such as a resident vacuuming and a dog barking

The defence barrister asked her: "At any stage in that video is it possible to hear you scream?"

She replied: "No."

Medical examination

The woman was then asked about the account she gave to police who attended her home less than an hour after the alleged incident and an interview she had with police the following day.

The defence barrister pointed out several inconsistencies between the two accounts she gave police and asked her: "Do you agree you didn't tell police the truth.

She replied: "Yes, sorry."

She also accepted that a medical examination had found no injuries to her genital area or her throat.

Following the cross-examination the prosecution barrister told Judge Patrick Lynch KC that the PPS felt the case should no longer continue.

Judge Lynch told the jury to acquit Mr Haughian on all three charges and then told the defendant he was free to go.