The prosecutor in the trial of a man accused of trying to coerce a woman into his car by impersonating a garda has described his version of events as “fantastical.”

Declan McGowan, of Branswood, Athy, Co Kildare, denies pretending to be a garda and claims he was trying to help the woman.

He is also accused of hugging the woman, kissing her hand against her will and of choking her husband.

Mr McGowan claims he was trying to help the woman after he saw her in a state of panic on Kimmage Road Lower in Dublin in the early hours of September 18th last year.

In her evidence yesterday, the woman said she was having a row with her husband over the phone when the accused pulled up, told her he was a garda and told her to get into his car.

She said she felt “pressurised” by him.

Mr McGowan said he never claimed to be a garda and denies choking her husband when he arrived on the scene.

He instead claimed he only stepped in when he saw the husband slap her – something her husband denied in court yesterday.

His barrister described the evidence against him as “utterly flimsy” and said that if his client did a wrong, the wrong he did was to make the foolish decision to act as a Good Samaritan.

The prosecuting barrister accused Mr McGowan of trying to turn the whole event on its head and described his version of events as “fantastical” and “not worthy of credit”

Mr McGowan denies all the charges.

The judge will address the jurors tomorrow before they begin their deliberations.