A TEENAGER has spoken of how she feared she could be raped by a 56-year-old man accused of a series of sexual assaults.
She was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Ricky Derek Knight in the Royal Court.
In video evidence, the girl said Mr Knight had put his hand inside her shirt and groped her breasts on numerous occasions.
She described one incident in which she recalled: ‘He pinned me down on the floor and pulled up my shirt.
‘I thought I was going to get raped or something.’
On another occasion, she alleged, Mr Knight had placed his hand between her legs above her clothing. ‘He said he was trying to check my pulse,’ she said.
‘He made me very uncomfortable.’
The witness was one of two teenagers Mr Knight is accused of assaulting. He faces 14 charges of indecent assault or committing acts of gross indecency over a five-year period, all of which he denies.
On the first day of the trial the court had heard video evidence from the older girl, who said she was made to perform sex acts on him and allow him to perform sex acts on her in return for cigarettes and mobile phone credits.
She took to the witness stand yesterday to face cross-examination from Advocate Adam Harrison, defending.
She described Mr Knight’s alleged behaviour as ‘disgusting’.
Advocate Harrison asked: ‘Were you so reliant on cigarettes that you would do something you thought was disgusting?’
She said: ‘They were my only way of coping.’
Advocate Harrison replied: ‘Your explanation doesn’t make any sense.’
She said: ‘l needed cigarettes to get me through the day. The fags kept me sane the whole day.’
Advocate Harrison suggested: ‘You made these allegations because you dislike him.’
She said: ‘No.’
He then asked: ‘Did you make them for attention?’
She again replied: ‘No.’
The trial continues.
