A WOMAN wept as she told of the moment her daughter said she had been sexually assaulted by a man over several years.
She was giving evidence on the second day of the trial in the Royal Court of 49-year-old Richard Louis Romeril.
Mr Romeril is accused of 16 sex offences, including attempted rape, sexual touching without consent, forcing someone to engage in a sex act and indecent assault. He denies all the charges, which are alleged to have taken place over a ten-year period.
The woman sobbed as she recalled her daughter’s allegation.
Answering questions from Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood, prosecuting, she said: “She was scared. She blurted it out as quickly as she could. Her whole body was shaking.”
She added: “I told her I had to be sure that what she was telling me was true because I would have to report it.
“She said she knew I had to report it, so I called the police.”
On the first day of the trial, Advocate Hollywood, prosecuting, told the jury that the abuse had gone on “throughout the girl’s childhood”.
The alleged victim also gave evidence to the jury behind a screen on Monday, saying the abuse “escalated as I got older”.
Crown Advocate Hollywood asked her: “Did you ever consent to any of the sexual activity?”
She said: “No.”
Advocate Mike Preston, defending, asked the girl why she did not mention the alleged abuse to a doctor.
She said: “I was scared to.”
He suggested: “Nothing like this ever happened.”
The girl replied: “Yes, it did.”
Advocate Preston said: “You didn’t tell anyone else because it’s not true.”
She responded: “It is true.”
Yesterday, the court heard from one of the girl’s school friends.
She said the alleged victim never told her specifically what was happening, but said: “She was a ball of energy, but when she opened up to me I realised she wasn’t all bubbly.
“She would get more and more upset. She would sit there crying.
“Teachers were noticing that she was unwell. Her grades were going down because she wasn’t focusing.
“She said she couldn’t sleep. Then it clicked with me that something was going on that shouldn’t be going on.”
The trial is expected to last six more days. The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, is presiding.
