Stuart Olding Biography
Stuart Olding was born on 11 March 1993. He is an Irish rugby union footballer. A versatile back, who played at out-half, centre, and full-back, Stuart Olding represented Ireland at both Under 18 and Under 20 level. He made his debut for Ulster as a substitute against Leinster in December 2011, but just over a year later he established himself as a member of the senior squad.
He scored his first try for Ulster, against Glasgow, in February 2013 and Olding scored four further tries in quick succession. Man-of-the-match awards against the Dragons and Connacht soon followed and Olding was regarded as one of the most exciting young players in Irish Rugby. His contract with Ulster Rugby was revoked in April 2018.
Stuart Olding Father
Paddy Jackson is Stuart Olding’s dad.
Stuart Olding Club
Stuart Olding current team is CA Brive. In May 2018 Olding signed for French club CA Brive who are managed by former Irish & Ulster player Jeremy Davidson. Olding & fellow clubmate had been lined with a move to Sale Sharks but the deal fell through after the club’s raised concerns about the duo’s image.
Stuart Olding Salary
Paddy Jackson is set to sign for English Premiership side Sale Sharks on a cut-price deal. The Telegraph is reporting that a deal has been agreed and that Sale are also close to agreeing terms with Jackson’s former Ulster team-mate Stuart Olding. Both players had their contracts revoked by the IRFU last month following a review into their conduct following a high-profile rape trial in which both were found unanimously not guilty of rape, with Jackson also acquitted of sexual assault.
The players have also been linked with moves to Exeter Chiefs in England and Clermont Auvergne in France before both clubs distanced themselves from any interest. According to the Telegraph, Jackson has accepted a deal worth about €230k a year – a drop of over €50k a year compared to his contract with the IRFU.
Stuart Olding Height And Weight
Stuart Olding height is 1.85 metersand weighs 88 kilograms.
Stuart Olding Career
Perfectly capable at flyhalf, centre of fullback, Olding’s versatility makes him a valuable asset. Having represented Ireland at both Under 18 and Under 20 level, Olding has progressed into the full Ulster set up and made his debut for the province against Leinster in 2011. An exciting young talent, Olding has already shown in his short career to date that he has much to offer Irish rugby in the coming years. After being capped in 2012 he struggled to make the side but earned a recall to the starting line up in June 2016 against the Springboks
Olding made 62 appearances for Ulster (4 Ireland caps) scoring 67 points at the start of the 2017-18 campaign. In May 2018, Olding signed a two-year deal with French Pro D2 club Brive ahead of the 2018/2019 season.
Stuart Olding Caps
Despite having four Ireland caps and being a regular in Ulster’s starting line-up, he is less well known outside the rugby fraternity than his friend Paddy Jackson.Indeed several witnesses, including three of the women who attended the house party where the rape had been alleged to have happened on June 28, 2016, said they recognised Jackson but had not heard of Olding.
Stuart Olding Ulster Rugby
IRFU and Ulster confirm departure of Jackson and Olding
Ulster Rugby and the IRFU have revoked the contracts of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. In a brief statement issued today, the player’s province and the Union said this was with immediate effect, leaving the players’ careers in limbo. Fellow Ireland and Ulster player Craig Gilroy has beenalso disciplined for sending one of the offensive messages that was outlined to the court. He had already been made unavailable for selection and will now face a further two-week suspension.
This decision is the conclusion of a review conducted by the IRFU and Ulster following the Belfast rape trial verdict on March 28th, when Jackson aged 26 and Olding aged 25 were found not guilty of raping the same woman at a house party at Jackson’s south Belfast home in June 2016. Jackson was also cleared of sexual assault.
Today’s statement, issued at precisely 11am, by the IRFU and Ulster Rugby, said: “Following a review, conducted in the aftermath of recent court proceedings, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby have revoked the contracts of Patrick Jackson and Stuart Olding with immediate effect.”
“In arriving at this decision, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby acknowledge our responsibility and commitment to the core values of the game: Respect, Inclusivity and Integrity.”
“It has been agreed, as part of this commitment, to conduct an in-depth review of existing structures and educational programmes, within the game in Ireland, to ensure the importance of these core values is clearly understood, supported and practised at every level of the game.”
Both players were under contract with Ulster and the IRFU until June 2019, but included in their contracts would have been a clause about bringing the game into disrepute.
It is understood that Ulster and the IRFU came under increasing pressure from sponsors not to have Jackson and Olding play for the province again. Earlier last week, Ulster’s longest term sponsor, Bank of Ireland (BOI) issued a statement saying: “As a sponsor of Ulster Rugby, Bank of Ireland is highly concerned regarding the serious behaviour and conduct issues which have emerged as a result of the recent high profile trial.”
“The Bank has formally conveyed these concerns to the CEO of Ulster Rugby. It is of paramount importance to Bank of Ireland that our sponsorship activity aligns with and supports our core values, and reflects positively on Bank of Ireland through association.”
Jackson has played 25 times for Ireland, and Olding has been capped four times.
Immediately following the trial Jackson stated his intention of resuming his career with Ulster and Ireland through a statement issued by his lawyer, which said: “As for Paddy, his main priority now is to return to work. That means getting back on the rugby pitch and representing his province and his country.”
Jackson subsequently released a statement on April 6th in which he stated he was “ashamed that a young woman who was a visitor to my home left in a distressed state” and that he regretted the events of that evening.
Jackson statement
In a statement released on Saturday, Paddy Jackson said: “I am deeply disappointed about the outcome of the IRFU and Ulster Rugby’s internal review.
“However, I recognise that my behaviour has fallen far short of the values expected of me as an international player, a role model for the game of rugby and as a son and a brother. I am truly sorry.
“Since I was a young boy it was my ambition to play for Ulster and Ireland and I am extremely proud, privileged and honoured to have done so. It is therefore with great sadness and regret but with many cherished memories that I leave that behind.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this process. I have taken great strength from that support. I’d also like to thank Ulster and Irish rugby for the opportunities that they provided for me and I wish them, and all my former team mates, every success.
“My focus in the months and years ahead will be on rebuilding the trust placed in me by people throughout Ulster and Ireland.”
Olding statement
Stuart Olding also issued a statement expressing his regret.
It said: “It is with regret that I have been informed that the IRFU have decided to revoke my contract.
“As I said outside court following my acquittal, I am and will always be fiercely proud of having played for my province and country.
“I very much wished to continue to have the opportunity to represent them.
“Regrettably, influences outside of my contractual arrangement have made it impossible for that to happen.
“I said outside court that the Stuart Olding that you read about in the trial is not the real Stuart Olding.
“The treatment that I have received since my acquittal, both fair and unfair, has made me even more determined to prove myself.
“With the support of my family and friends I shall seek new challenges elsewhere. I bear no one any ill will.
“I am very sorry that this day has come to pass.
“To those who have supported me through these last 20 months and especially the fans who continue to support me, I thank you all.”
Protest
Around 250 people staged a protest outside Ulster Rugby’s stadium on Friday night ahead of the team’s first home game since the two players were acquitted of rape.
Belfast Feminist Network organised the rally close to one of Kingspan Stadium’s entrances, ahead of the game against the Ospreys, to send a message to sports officials about the responsibilities it says they have.
They also called for action against what they claim is a misogynistic culture within rugby. An intense debate on the players’ future has been played out since the verdicts.
Stuart Olding Belfast
Rugby rape trial verdicts: ‘The real Stuart Olding was not on trial,’ says Ulster rugby star
Ulster rugby player Stuart Olding apologised to the complainant in his rape trial for the hurt his actions had caused stressing he had not committed any criminal offence. He said the “real Stuart Olding” had not been portrayed during the case and he regretted the events of the night in question.
Mr Olding was found not guilty of raping a 19-year-old student in June 2016.
Solicitor Paul Dougan, reading a statement on behalf of Stuart Olding outside court, said: “I want to acknowledge publicly that although I committed no criminal offence on the evening of June 28, 2016, I regret deeply the events of that evening.
“I want to acknowledge that the complainant came to court and gave evidence about her perception of those events.
“I’m sorry for the hurt that was caused to the complainant. It was never my intention to cause any upset to anyone on that night.”
Mr Olding said he didn’t agree with the complainants perception of events and maintained that every that happened that evening was consensual.
The statement added: “The Stuart Olding that has been portrayed over the past nine weeks in this trial is not the real Stuart Olding.
“I’m fiercely proud to represent my province and my country.
“I have worked very hard to achieve those goals. I hope to be able to prove myself going forward in all aspects of my life.
“I would like to thank my legal team for their hard work and their belief in my throughout and finally to my family: thank you all for standing by me from the beginning.”
Belfast Telegraph Digital
Paddy Jackson Stuart Olding Video
Stuart Olding Family
Blane McIlroy has put ‘his parents through the wringer’, rugby rape trial hears.
A barrister for Blane McIlroy began his closing submission to a jury at Belfast Crown Court this afternoon. Arthur Harvey QC told the 11 jurors McIlroy had answered “every single question” put to him by police. He said: “When Mr McIlroy entered that police station he was every bit as unaware of the legal system and how it operates as you were when you were sworn on the jury.”
The jury at the Belfast trial are now hearing closing submissions. Paddy Jackson, 26, from Oakleigh Park in the city, denies rape and sexual assault at a house party in June 2016. His team-mate, Stuart Olding, 25, from Ardenlee Street in Belfast, denies raping the woman. Two others are also charged with offences connected to the alleged rape. Blane McIlory, 26, from Royal Lodge Road in Belfast, denies exposure, while Rory Harrison, 25, from Manse Road, Belfast, denies perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Blane McIlroy has put his “parents through the ringer”, his defence counsel has said. Given his background and character they would expect he would tell them the truth, the court was told. Mr Harvey said: “Mr McIlroy has told the truth. The truth is simply not compatible with the account of (the complainant).” The lawyer later asked: “What rational, reasonable, sensible, intelligent individual would present himself in the police station to give an account before he knew what any of the allegations are specifically against him.
“To incriminate himself in a potentially much more serious charge.
“Quite simply it does not bear examination,” said Mr Harvey.
Telling the jury that when arrested in June 2016 McIlroy was one semester short of completing a university degree in America, Mr Harvey branded the case as a “tragedy” for everyone involved.
Last week the jury was asked to consider whether or not the four men on trial were “liars or legends.” However, Mr Harvey said this was not the case as “that does not answer the primary function you are here to fulfil … and that is to determine whether or not Mr McIlroy and his co-defendants are guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the charges that they face.”
In her evidence, the complainant said after she was attacked by Jackson and Olding, a naked McIlroy appeared in the room, and thrust his penis at her, demanding sex. This version was rejected by McIlroy, who said that after walking into the bedroom, the woman masturbated him then briefly performed oral sex on him, before asking if anyone had condoms.
McIlroy said Jackson was also in the room, and after leaving to look for condoms, when he came back to the bedroom the woman was getting dressed. Mr Harvey said McIlroy’s “life changed, and it changed irrevocably” 20 month ago when his client walked into a police station and gave an account of what happened.
Mr Harvey talked about the young woman who also attended the afterparty at Jackson’s, and who opened the bedroom door and gave evidence that she saw a consensual threesome. Regarding what he called “indiscrepancies” in the complainant’s account – which the defence barrister attributed to alcohol consumption – Mr Harvey posed the question “What had she to gain from telling an untruth?”.
He told the jury: “The simple thing, in literature and life, is that lies don’t start off, necessarily, as a malicious intent to cause real damage to others. But lies build on lies. If you have a sense you are about to be shamed on a network to which your friends access, the first reaction is ‘how do you deal with the shame?’ Mostly, it’s ‘how do I save face?’
Mr Harvey said her reaction was one of being mortified of the consequences of having her image uploaded onto social media, as she feared the woman at the door had taken a picture of the scene in the bedroom. Regarding the woman’s allegations against McIlroy, Mr Harvey spoke of “significant and substantial differences” in accounts she gave to different people.
He said the first narrative was in a text message to a friend, where the complainant says ‘3rd guy coming and trying to join in, pushing his d**k at me.’ Mr Harvey said she mentions McIlroy at the Brooke Clinic in Belfast as a ‘3rd person attempting to join in.’ She then told a medic at the Rowan Centre ‘a man, third guy, came in and took his trousers down’, which Mr Harvey said then graduated to telling police McIlroy ‘appears at the door naked.’
Mr Harvey asked the jury to consider what McIlroy told police when he was interviewed on June 30. Saying his client’s account must have “bewildered” officers, the QC asked whether or not it was possible that McIlroy “deliberately lied to his parents and deliberately manufactured an account he would then deliver to the police over the course of 12 interviews.”
Saying the police “quite simply … didn’t know how to handle the truth”, Mr Harvey also asked whether it was plausible that McIlroy was “prepared to sacrifice himself and face more serious charges” as well as putting his parents “through the wringer.”
Mr Harvey said: “Mr McIlroy has told the truth. The truth is simply not compatible with the account of (the complainant) and (the complainant) as we know has a memory which is fragmented – she accepted that – and alcohol is a ready explanation for that.”
He also asked the jury: “What rational, reasonable, sensible, intelligent individual would present themselves in a police station to give an account, before he knew what any of the allegations were, specifically against him?
“To incriminate himself to a potentially much more serious charge, quite simply, it does not bear examination.”
Mr Harvey also mentioned the texts, and said that while the defendants were braggarts, they weren’t rapists. Telling the jury their verdict “will affect a young man for the rest of his life”, Mr Harvey asked if they were sure beyond reasonable doubt of his guilt. Telling the members to “honour your oath” and come to a verdict based on the evidence, Mr Harvey said this verdict should be one of ‘not guilty.’
Defence
Earlier, the court heard Stuart Olding’s defence barrister who said evidence presented in the rape trial of the two Ireland and Ulster rugby players does not come close to proving the guilt of Stuart Olding. In his closing submission Frank O’Donoghue QC said the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.
The lawyer said: “It does not come remotely near the required standard to render you sure that Stuart Olding orally raped the complainant on June 28 2016.”
Referring to a question posed by the prosecution which asked what the woman had to gain by telling the truth, Mr Harvey said: “The answer is, her reputation.”
Earlier the barrister told jurors lies do not always start out with malicious intent.
He said: “The simple thing in literature as in life is that lies do not start off necessarily as a malicious intent to cause harm to others, but lies build on lies.
“If you have a sense that you are about to be shamed on a network which your friends access, your first reaction is ‘how do you deal with that shame’ and mostly it is ‘how do I save face’.
“And that’s the reaction she had because she said that in her ABE (achieving best evidence) interview.”
Mr O’Donoghue told jurors there were more than a dozen questions police should have asked.
“Why did she not say no?” he said. “Why did she open her mouth? Why didn’t she scream? A lot of middle class girls were downstairs, they were not going to tolerate a rape or anything like that. Why didn’t she scream the house down.”
The lawyer told the court that when the evidence is studied it demonstrates that the woman has “no reliable memory” of being forced to perform oral sex.
The barrister added: “I am asking you to get down and dirty as far as all the evidence is concerned. To roll up your sleeves.”
The police investigation was flawed, the barrister suggested.
He put it to the jury: “You have an ABE interview devoid of detail on the allegation that was an assumption of force. And a police force that never truly studied what’s being said and what questions needed to be asked. If you look at the evidence in chief it is of necessity completely devoid of relevant and essential detail.”
He also said it was of “hopeless quality”.
He said the investigation of the woman’s allegations against Olding was “at best poor” and “at worst, virtually non existent”.
Olding has told the truth and is a reliable, credible witness, his defence counsel also told Belfast Crown Court.
Mr O’Dononghue claimed the account provided to police and to the court during the high-profile rape trial “proves” his innocence.
The lawyer said: “He has never shied away from telling anyone who would listen what happened.
“He has undoubtedly told the truth, warts and all.”
Mr O’Dononghue urged the jury to “do justice” in the case and acquit Olding.
Drawing his statement to a close after about two hours, he said his client “welcomed” the chance to be heard by a jury.
“Finally, that someone might listen to him and decide what he told was the truth, warts and all.
“The reality is there was no rape by Stuart Olding. There is no case here.
“There was no force used. There was consent on both sides at that time. Perhaps a matter of regret now, to all parties, but such is life.
“Stuart Olding is innocent in this charge. I implore you to do your duty.”
The case will sit again tomorrow when Gavan Duffy QC, the barrister representing Rory Harrison (25) will be the fourth and and final defence barrister to address the jury.
From Manse Road in Belfast, Harrison has been charged with, and denies, perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
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Stuart Olding Brive
Stuart Olding signs two-year deal with Brive
Former Ulster and Ireland centre Stuart Olding will be in a position to resume his playing career from next season after agreeing a two-year deal with French ProD2 side Brive.
The 25-year-old, along with his provincial and international teammate Paddy Jackson (26), had their Ulster contracts, which were due to run until June 2019, revoked last month after a review conducted by the IRFU and Ulster following the Belfast rape trial verdict on March 28th.
Both men were acquitted of raping the same woman in June 2016 with Jackson also cleared of sexual assault. Two of their friends, who faced related charges, were also found not guilty.
Olding had been linked with a number of English clubs, all of whom distanced themselves from the speculation, but Brive’s new head coach Jeremy Davidson, has persuaded him to join the French club, relegated from the French Top14 this season.
The 44-year-old Belfast born Davidson will also be a new face at the French club, having swapped his role as forwards’ coach at Bordeaux Begles for a three-year-contract at Brive. He has plenty of experience in ProD2 having coach Aurillac from 2010 to 2017, while working in a coaching capacity at Dungannon, Ulster and Castres.
He moved to Bordeaux at the behest of Jacques Brunel before the latter left to take up a position as French national team coach last December. Davidson won 32 caps for Ireland between 1995 and 2001, toured twice with the Lions including a 2-1 series win over the Springboks in 1997, and had two spells at Ulster, while also played for London Irish and Castres.
Olding, made 58 appearances for Ulster (2011-2017), winning his first Ireland cap against the USA in 2014 and the last of four against South Africa in 2016. He is a gifted inside centre who can also play outhalf and fullback.
Meanwhile, Connacht announced the signing of 21-year-old Fijian wing Sevu Reece from Waikato in New Zealand. A versatile player he is comfortable right across the back line and will provide increased options to Connacht’s new coach Andy Friend.
The Fijian was the youngest member of the Provincial Barbarians side that played against the British & Irish Lions in the opening game of their tour of New Zealand.
In 2016 he finished as the top points scorer for his club side Melville and helped them to their first Waikato championship in 35 years. His performances there earned him a place on the Waikato squad for the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup. In that season he went on to make 12 appearances scoring seven tries in the process.
Reece was born and raised in Fiji and moved to New Zealand in 2014 where he attended Hamilton Boys’ High School. He will join Connacht after completing the current season with Waikato, a team that Jono Gibbes is set to take over having recently left Ulster to return to New Zealand because of family issues.
Gibbes had spoken to French Top 14 club La Rochelle where a vacancy as head coach had arisen but was recently pictured alongside his assistant coaches at Waikato former Ireland international, Nathan White, and Roger Randle, ahead of the Mitre 10 tournament that starts in August.
Friend said: “We are delighted to announce that Sevu Reece will be joining. He is an exciting attacking player who will be a further addition to our back line next season.”
Stuart Olding Barrister
Stuart Olding’s barrister addresses jury at rugby rape trial
The barrister for a rugby player accused of orally raping a student in the home of Paddy Jackson told a jury today: “There was no rape. There was consent.” Frank O’Donoghue QC said in his closing speech that the evidence produced by the police and the prosecution in the case “did not even come close to proving the guilt” of his client Stuart Olding.
He said: “It does not come remotely near the required standard to render you sure that Stuart Olding orally raped the complainant in June 2016.
“A person is only to be deprived of their liberty if it is proved to the jury that they have committed a crime.
“Proof is not as a result of a whim, or an impression, a gut feeling or even an instinct, but as a result of listening to the evidence.
“If, on the evidence, you cannot be sure, then it is your duty to acquit. We, the court, the jury, must never be party to any miscarriage of justice. We must avoid that at all costs.”
The barrister said the police had let down Olding, 25, during their investigation into claims he raped a then 19-year-old woman during house party in Jackson’s south Belfast home in June 2016. Mr O’Donoghue said the jury were being asked to decide on the fate of his client’s guilt or innocence of oral sex when the complainant had already confirmed she had no idea how his penis had got into her mouth.
The court heard how the police had asked her in her first ABE interview: “Do you know how that came to be there?”
She had replied: “I am not entirely sure to be honest.”
In her second interview, when asked the same question, the court heard she had replied: “I am really sure my head was forced down.”
Mr O’Donoghue told the jury the complainant had developed “false memories” and said: “She describes assumptions as memories because she wants to be believed.”
He added her police statements were “devoid of detail” and he accused the PSNI of never truly understanding or studying what exactly was being said to them.
He said: “The testing of her evidence was at best poor and at worst virtually non-existent. There is no detail – just her word.”
Mr O’Donoghue said detectives from the rape crime unit who worked the case should have asked several more questions of the complainant in their two interviews and should have sought a third.
He said: “When the police got layer upon layer of evidence from Mr Olding that indicated consent they should have reinterviewed the complainant.”
And he added that they should have added numerous questions to their investigation, adding: “Why did she open her mouth? Why didn’t she close her mouth? Why didn’t she scream? There were three middle-class girls downstairs who wouldn’t tolerate rape.
“Did she go up and down the shaft of his penis? How was it actually being performed if her head was constantly being pushed down?
“What position was she in when the act commenced? How long did it go on for? How did it come to an end? What caused the oral sex to cease? Because she stopped it – or because Olding wanted it to stop?
“What did Stuart Olding do and where did he go? How did she get onto her back when she was down on her knees?”
He earlier told the court that Olding had stated his case from the start and had not waivered from his version of events before or after he knew what the complainant and his co-accused had told police.
Mr O’Donoghue said: “Mr Olding has made the case that the act was entirely consensual, that he never pulled her head.
“The proof of the fact that it was consensual can be taken from the body positions that they adopted, the duration of the act, the fact that she interrupted the act before recommencing, that she brought him to the point of ejaculation and he told her he was going to ejaculate.”
The barrister urged the jury of eight men and three women to “study the evidence” in order to “root out” inconsistencies.
And he told them: “Do not judge the book by its cover. Do not assume that because an account appears plausible it must therefore be true.
“When you consider all the evidence, it doesn’t come remotely near the required standard to render you sure [Olding] is guilty of oral rape”
“When you peel back all the evidence, you’re just left with the complainant’s word.”
He added: “There is no issue that oral sex took place. Consent is the issue.”
In his closing submission, Frank O’Donoghue QC said the burden of proof lay with the prosecution. Olding, 25, from Ardenlee Street in Belfast, denies raping a woman at a house party in June 2016. His team-mate, Paddy Jackson, 26, from Oakleigh Park in the city, also denies rape and sexual assault. Blane McIlory, 26, from Royal Lodge Road in Belfast, denies exposure, while Rory Harrison, 25, from Manse Road, Belfast, denies perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Mr O’Donoghue asked the jury to remember that Olding had said the oral sex he had had performed on him by the complainant had been “completely consensual”.
And the barrister added that the prosecutions position that Olding pulled the woman’s head to his penis and applied pressure to her head, making her choke and gag, was not fact. Mr O’Donoghue said: “Perhaps it was a consensual act she came to regret. The crime can’t be made out in the evidence of this case”
The barrister asked the jury to turn their attention evidence given by Dr Phillip Lavery who examined the complainant after she claimed to a friend that she had been raped. Mr O’Donoghue said: “[Her] evidence has been shown to be completely unreliable”.
He described the complainant’s claim of oral rape by Olding as “belated” and “unreliable” and said while she told Dr Lavery at the Rowan Clinic that she had been vaginally raped by two men, she later gave police a different account.
The barrister advised the jury: “[She] made false allegations in order to be believed. She deliberately concealed the fact that she performed oral sex on a male so that she wouldn’t be orally forensically examined at the Rowan where she made her ludicrous claim. You have to second guess everything in this case before you rely on it.”
Mr O’Donoghue told the court told the jury that despite having consumed 20 alcoholic drinks before the alleged incident, Olding had co-operated fully with the police.
He said: “He answered all their questions without hesitation. And when his account was contradicted he stood his ground and explained fully what happened.
“Stuart Olding’s answers to police go so much further than raise a reasonable doubt. He proves his innocence. You can place a lot of store in what he said.”
He said Olding’s police evidence goes only to prove his innocence of the charge of oral rape, adding: “Not only by the content of his answers but the frank way in which Stuart Olding answered them.”
The barrister asked the jury to imagine Olding’s shock when before he was interviewed by the police, he was put in a holding cell and was put through a “very intrusive medical procedure where he provided the police with DNA swabs from various parts of his body”.
Mr O’Donoghue said: “The first thing the police did after interviewing the complainant was go to Ravenhill to speak directly to Olding’s employer at Ulster Rugby and to tell them that they should inform Olding to go to the police station urgently.”
And he pushed the jury to think hard on Olding’s evidence.
He said: “If someone performs oral sex for 5 minutes to the point of ejaculation does that not seem like consent?
“If there are three interruptions to the sex and yet ejaculation occurs is that not fairly compelling evidence objectively of consent?
“His account that his hands were by his side not on [the woman’s] head was supported by Dara Florence’s account.
“When he went into the bedroom, he saw Mr Jackson on his back and the complainant on top of him, that too was supported by the complainant’s evidence.
“His account that the complainant took her own top off was supported by her own evidence.
“That she asked for a condom is supported by the complainant. Stuart Olding told it as it was. He told it warts and all.”
And he addressed Olding’s WhatsApp messages to his friends, in which he described his client of “acting the big lad”, and “bragging in the privacy of his own phone”.
Mr O’Donogue said: “The social media texts are nothing but a titillating sideshow and they have no evidential value in relation to Olding in this case.”
The barrister described the complainant’s account as being “corrupted by unreliability” and told them that being a credible witness and a reliable witness are two different things. He told the jury: “The sad reality is her story is utterly and undeniably unreliable. She exaggerated to attract sympathy, or blatantly lied.
“There was no rape. There was consent. Perhaps a matter of regret now, to all parties.
“Mr Olding’s career has been very publicly damaged and possibly his and Paddy Jackson’s public profile has been an unnecessary complication.
“Was Stuart Olding someone who was going to rape someone? Seriously? A man who has no history of violence on or off the field? It’s preposterous.
“He has asked no favours, pulled no strings, and he has not used his public profile in anyway to assist him.
“His career was back on the up, he had everything to live for, he was 23 years old, had been reselected for the Irish team and he had been through two years of injuries to crutiate ligaments.”
Mr O’Donoghue urged the jurors to acquit his client of what he described as an “unsustainable charge”.
In his closing message, he told them: “Stuart Olding welcomes the fact that you will decide his fate. Finally someone will listen to him and decide he has told the truth, warts and all.”
Stuart Olding Solicitor
Stuart Olding solicitor: No winners in Belfast rape trial
Stuart Olding’s solicitor said there were no winners in the Belfast rape trial and the process took a toll on both sides. Paul Dougan also claimed everyone on social media “saw themselves as a reporter and social commentator” during the case. Rugby players Olding – Mr Dougan’s client – and Paddy Jackson were acquitted on Wednesday of raping a 19-year-old Belfast student. Their friend Blane McIlroy was acquitted of exposing himself to the woman, and Rory Harrison was found not guilty of two counts of attempting to cover for his friends afterwards by misleading police and withholding information.
Mr Dougan told Newstalk Breakfast that in terms of police involvement, mistakes were made and that “some of our criticisms were very pointed”. Mr Dougan said he agreed with criticisms of the prosecution made yesterday outside the court by Joe McVeigh, solicitor for Paddy Jackson.
“Yes, I do have concerns and criticism about the manner in which elements of this case were investigated.”
The defence had to take a certain line of questioning, he said because details were not properly recorded or followed through by the police in their investigation.
Anonymity
Mr Dougan said the issue of anonymity for defendants has been brought into clear focus.
“The defendants were photographed entering court, leaving court, with their families. There was wall-to-wall coverage with every detail being discussed and dissected, which added complexity to this case. Lessons must be learned,” he said.
“This makes a very strong case for anonymity for all parties particularly in cases of rape.”
Mr Dougan pointed out that days were lost in the case because of issues with the reporting of the case.
“The public gallery and the press benches were full each and every day. The journalists involved – many of whom household names, highly respected – were required to adhere to the rules and the orders and the directions, of which there were a number, given by the trial judge.
“Everybody on social media in this particular case saw themselves both as a reporter and as a social commentator,” Mr Dougan said.
“The comments of some people from the start of this trial . . . the comments, the postings, the views expressed by people who knew nothing about the case other than that which they read or the snippet that they read on social media, I must say I have never seen anything quite like it.
Commenting
“People from Australia commenting about a case, adding their tuppence worth, when all they had done was to read a comment posted by somebody else – as opposed to people who obviously took the time to sit in the courtroom and to listen to the evidence and to see the demeanour of the witnesses and to appreciate all the various nuances,” he said.
“I have witnessed in the course of this case a rush to a conclusion that Stuart Olding and the other three defendants were guilty, until the contrary was proven – and social media was very much a driver for that.”
He said Olding, a rugby player with Ulster and Ireland will now await the result of a review by his employers IRFU, adding “the outcome of the process must be respected”. Mr Dougan said he hoped Olding will be allowed to go back to the sport to which he has given so much and that means so much to him.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke Mr Dougan said he had never been in any doubt about Olding’s innocence. He said felt the public profile of Olding and Jackson as rugby players had been a feature of the case. In his view their status as players and the degree of their public profile drove the manner in which the case was conducted and the coverage of the case. “That wouldn’t have happened in any other rape case.”
“Lives have been irreparably affected on both sides. The social commentary on this case will run and run. It is a salutary lesson for everybody.”
On the same programme retired judge Barry White said the case had become “a show trial” because of the profile of the two rugby players. The other two defendants would not have found themselves in the spotlight. The case attracted the attention from the public “because of who they were.”
Stuart Olding Clothes
After being arrested, Stuart Olding had told the police what he was wearing that night. This outfit had entailed a navy shirt, black jeans, black “boxer underwear” and brown shoes.
The detective told the court that he could not remember this specifically.
However, while Mr Olding’s home had been searched during the time he was being interviewed and other items of clothing retrieved, the outfit he had worn on the night was not retrieved, Frank O’Donoghue QC ascertained.
The court did not hear the reason behind this and no suggestions were proffered.
It was a day dense with detail, much of it technical, with some of the medical evidence later in the afternoon making for uncomfortable listening.
Back in the witness box in the morning was the PSNI detective who had been giving evidence last Friday and who cannot be named because of custom and practice in the North.
This time, he was cross-examined by the counsel on behalf of Stuart Olding.
The former Irish international had been arrested at the police station within an hour of the complainant’s statement, two days after the alleged rape.
He had gone there voluntarily, Mr O’Donoghue pointed out.
“You’re part of a team carrying out an investigation into two high-profile people and you’re assigned the task of interviewing Mr Olding,” Mr O’Donoghue put it to him.
“Correct,” said the detective.
“And he was interviewed very extensively,” the lawyer continued.
“Correct,” the detective again agreed.
“By you and another officer,” said Mr O’Donoghue.
Mr Olding had been “fully co-operative” during this interview, which had been conducted between 6pm and 8pm on June 30, 2016, said the lawyer.
“He was,” said the detective.
“The jury will have opportunity to listen to tapes of these interviews in due course,” Mr O’Donoghue told the court.
“And it’s fair to say he asserted a number of very important facts relevant to the issue of oral sex,” he added.
“Correct,” said the detective.
It was at this point that we heard the bones of what Mr Olding put forward to detectives in his first interview, adding yet another conflicting version of events to the evidence so far.
He told police the alleged victim had performed oral sex on him and that the act went on for five minutes.
Mr Olding insisted it had been consensual and she had taken her own top off, Mr O’Donoghue said.
He claimed that the young woman had asked him and Paddy Jackson to “go and get condoms”.
Mr Olding told police he had ejaculated on his own stomach and then wiped himself with toilet roll in an adjoining bathroom.
He claimed he went to sleep in the next room on a couch beside another girl, Emily Docherty.
“You recall that?” Mr O’Donoghue inquired of the detective.
“He was clear to you about what happened?
“And he reasserted those facts when you put her case to him?”
The detective agreed.
Mr Olding had claimed he had never had penetrative sex “and he was quite clear about that”, said Mr O’Donoghue.
“That was a mass of material that was now available to police …
“A pretty clear account from Mr Olding,” he said, continuing that from a “policing point of view” there had been “a number of facts stated”.
Toby Hedworth, QC for the prosecution, rose to his feet.
“I don’t think these are questions,” he reminded Judge Patricia Smyth.
Paddy Jackson (26) from Oakleigh Park in Belfast, and his Ireland and Ulster teammate Olding, 24, from Ardenlee Street also in the city, deny raping the same woman at a house in south Belfast in June 2016. Jackson denies a further charge of sexual assault. Blane McIlroy (26) from Royal Lodge Road, Ballydollaghan, Belfast, denies exposure and Rory Harrison (25) from Manse Road, Belfast, denies perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Stuart Olding Alcohol Consumption
Rugby rape trial: 23 drinks but Olding said he was ‘still coherent’
Eight cans of beer, four pints, two gin and tonics, five vodka and lemonades, three shots and a bottle of beer. That’s 23 drinks. Stuart Olding agreed with his own lawyer that it sounded like a lot. The 24-year-old, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday, accepted that when he left Ollie’s nightclub around 2.15am and headed to Paddy Jackson’s house for a party, he was “pretty drunk”.
However, he stressed he was “still coherent” and “knew my whereabouts”. He started drinking around 4.30pm and consumed 23 drinks over the next 12 hours. Mr Olding said he had eight cans while watching football in Blane McIlroy’s house before he and his friends moved to Cutter’s Wharf where he had four pints and two gin and tonics. Mr Olding then headed to Ollie’s nightclub where he had five vodka and lemonades and two shots. He also had a bottle of beer in Mr Jackson’s house. Mr Olding also said he’d eaten some pizza and a burger and chips.
His mood was good, he said: “I was happy, enjoying myself, having a good time.”
Referring to the amount of alcohol Mr Olding consumed, prosecution counsel Toby Hedworth QC said to him that he’d had “a bit of a skinful”.
“Yes, over 12 hours and I had food,” said Mr Olding.
Mr Hedworth put it to Mr Olding: “If you had that amount of drink there’s a danger of disregarding the wishes or views of another person if they get in the way of what you want to achieve.”
Mr Olding replied: “I wouldn’t agree with that.”
Mr Hedworth said: “Like Paddy Jackson, you were not interested in what the young woman wanted to do or was prepared to do. She was just a vehicle for your own sexual desires that night.”
Mr Olding answered: “I wouldn’t put it that way.”
Mr Hedworth showed Mr Olding a photograph of him and Mr McIlroy which was taken at 3.42am. “You’re looking half cut,” Mr Hedworth said.
Mr Olding replied that he also looked tired and “very happy”.
The Ireland and Ulster centre had been eased into his evidence yesterday morning by his lawyer Frank O’Donoghue QC.
“I didn’t force her in any way,” he said. He stressed that nothing had happened in Mr Jackson’s bedroom that made him think the alleged victim had not consented to what had taken place.
Mr Olding expressed embarrassment about a series of texts he sent to a friend boasting about his sexual activity with the woman.
“I’m not proud,” he said, hanging his head in shame.
His cross-examination started before lunch and continued for most of the afternoon. Mr Olding seemed less comfortable answering Mr Hedworth’s questions. He cracked his knuckles, rolled his shoulders, swallowed a couple of times, took a drink of water and sat back in the chair.
He rejected that his story was “a work of fiction”.
Mr Hedworth put it to him that it was extraordinary that Mr Olding remembered “a tender moment” of touching the woman’s face but could not recall how they had moved from kissing to oral sex.
“It was just a moment I remember,” he said.
Stuart Olding Exeter Chiefs
Stuart Olding not on our radar: Exeter Chiefs dismiss link to player
Exeter have rubbished reports linking the Aviva Premiership leaders with a move to sign former Ulster and Ireland centre Stuart Olding. Forwards coach Rob Hunter insisted Olding is “not on our radar at all”, following Exeter’s 45-5 league win at London Irish on Sunday. Paddy Jackson and Olding had their Ulster and Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) contracts revoked on Saturday, following an internal review into their conduct. The duo were acquitted last month of raping the same woman after a high-profile Belfast trial.
Asked to comment on reports linking Olding with the Chiefs, Hunter replied: “I can tell you what I know, which is absolutely nothing. “It’s not something that we’ve discussed in the office. “So it’s another one of those where we’ve been linked to somebody but we’ve not spoken to an agent and we’ve not spoken to a player. “It’s not on our radar at all. We get linked to lots of players, it’s just not on our radar, it’s nothing to do with us really.”
The IRFU and Ulster Rugby confirmed the sackings of Jackson and Olding on Saturday, following a review that had focused on a series of sexually explicit WhatsApp messages involving the players and their friends about the sexual encounter at the centre of the rape trial. In a statement on Saturday, the IRFU and Ulster Rugby said: “Following a review, conducted in the aftermath of recent court proceedings, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby have revoked the contracts of Patrick Jackson and Stuart Olding with immediate effect.
“In arriving at this decision, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby acknowledge our responsibility and commitment to the core values of the game: respect, inclusivity and integrity. “It has been agreed, as part of this commitment, to conduct an in-depth review of existing structures and educational programmes within the game in Ireland to ensure the importance of these core values is clearly understood, supported and practised at every level of the game.”
Former Ireland coach Declan Kidney refused to comment when asked if London Irish would be interested in signing either of Jackson or Olding. “I know one of those individuals well obviously and I wouldn’t like to comment on anything to do with that case at the moment,” said Kidney. “I don’t think it’s appropriate, I think there’s enough of a media frenzy rather than me adding anything to it.”
Stuart Olding Exeter
Exeter say they have not discussed a move for Stuart Olding
Aviva Premiership leaders Exeter have dismissed reports linking them with a move to sign former Ulster and Ireland centre Stuart Olding. Forwards coach Rob Hunter insisted Olding is “not on our radar at all”, following Exeter’s 45-5 league win at London Irish on Sunday. Paddy Jackson and Olding had their Ulster and Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) contracts revoked on Saturday, following an internal review into their conduct.
The duo were acquitted last month of raping the same woman after a high-profile Belfast trial.
Asked to comment on reports linking Olding with the Chiefs, Hunter replied: “I can tell you what I know, which is absolutely nothing.
“It’s not something that we’ve discussed in the office.
“So, it’s another one of those where we’ve been linked to somebody but we’ve not spoken to an agent and we’ve not spoken to a player.
“It’s not on our radar at all.
“We get linked to lots of players, it’s just not on our radar, it’s nothing to do with us really.”
Stuart Olding Injury
Olding regroups after latest injury blow
Ulster and Ireland back Stuart Olding believes he can come back a better player despite suffering a third serious injury in two years. Olding suffered the anterior cruciate ligament injury as he made his comeback from an elbow injury in Ulster’s game against Cardiff on 28 March. The 22-year-old also missed most of the 2013-14 season because of a previous anterior cruciate ligament injury. After already being ruled out of this year’s Six Nations, Olding will now miss the World Cup latest this year as he is expected to be out of action until at least Christmas.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was hugely disappointing but I believe I can come back from the three serious injuries I have had and come back a stronger person,” said Olding.