Teen rape accused denies charge

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7530990.stm

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An 18-year-old man has appeared in court charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in Londonderry.

Michael David Robert McElwee, from the Fountain Estate, denies raping the girl at the weekend.

Defence told Londonderry Magistrates Court that the accused accepted he had sex with the girl, but claimed it was consensual.

Police opposed bail, but District Judge Barney McElholme released Mr McElwee on his own bail of £1,000.

A police witness said there was an unspecific threat against the defendant and that tensions in the community were "running high" because of the allegation.