A CARLISLE man convicted of raping a 15-year-old boy in 2006 has gone on trial accused of further serious sexual offending.

Despite his conviction following a Carlisle Crown Court trial, Barrie O’Keefe, 48, continues to deny raping that teenager during an overnight fishing. He has now gone on trial accused of sexually offending against two more alleged victims.

Those allegations also date back to the same period, 18 years ago.

O'Keefe denies raping a young man after plying him with drink and drugs; and has also denies sexually assaulting and engaging in sexual activity with another 15-year-old boy, also allegedly plied with drunk and drugs. 

He knew that teenager also through his hobby of fishing, the court heard.

Opening the case at the city’s crown court, prosecutor Peter Wilson said the older complainant was 20 years old in 2006 at the time of alleged rape. The man rented a room in Carlisle in the property where O’Keefe lived.

“He would smoke with the defendant, drink with him, and just in general he describes them as having crack together,” said Mr Wilson.

On the day when England played Portugal in the World Cup, O’Keefe and the alleged victim were at a friend’s house to watch the football and spent six hours together drinking and smoking.

Going back to their accommodation, the young man went to his room and then to bed. “The defendant sneaked into his room and raped him,” said Mr Wilson.

The man woke when the defendant got into his bed.

Mr Wilson said: “He felt that, because of the alcohol and drugs, he wasn’t able to fight back.” When later asked how he knew the event happened on that day, the man told police: "I don’t think I could forget it if I tried.”

Mr Wilson continued: “He felt like he was unable to tall anyone. He couldn’t tell the police. But it was when he saw the defendant recently that it all came flooding back. He had to tell the police now because it was holding him back.

“It has ruined his life.”

Mr Wilson said that young man was not the only person O’Keefe had “preyed upon.” The prosecutor told the jury that the defendant “befriended” a 15-year-old boy at around the same time.

At the time, O’Keefe was 30.

“They would cycle out to the River Caldew in Carlisle and fish together,” said the prosecutor. “It happened a few times and they became friends…

“On one occasion, they had been night fishing on the River Caldew. They were drinking cans of Fosters and, just like with [the older alleged victim], he brought poppers and cannabis, and they took those together.”

The teenager became dizzy.

He woke, said Mr Wilson, to find the defendant touching him.

The boy elbowed O’Keefe and told him to get off. When police spoke to the now adult male again in 2022, he said he was unable to describe what happened at the time because he was scared.

“He could not bring himself to say what happened,” said Mr Wilson. He recalled asking O’Keefe to stop what he was doing but the defendant refused.

Mr Wilson added: "This evidence, we say, demonstrates that the defendant is sexually attracted to younger boys; that he acts upon his attraction and he uses the fact he is older, stronger coupled with alcohol and drugs to rape them."

O'Keefe says the alleged offences never happened, suggesting that both men have "jumped on a bandwagon" because of his 2006 rape conviction which involved another 15-year-old boy.

The trial continues.