A WOMAN in her 70s on trial in the Royal Court briefly became emotional as she took to the stand yesterday to deny all allegations that she sexually abused a child.
Denise Violet Pirouet (77) told the jury the allegations that she had entertained a sexual relationship with a child decades ago were untrue.
She denies 11 counts of procuring an act of gross indecency and four counts of indecent assault.
The court heard that, while she didn’t force the child to engage in touching, kissing and sex with her, the young person had been too young to consent.
Advocate Simon Thomas, defending, asked her about some of the occasions when the offending allegedly took place.
She said: “That’s not possible. I would never do that.”
She cried as she added: “I can’t see how that could happen.”
She also denied that she had later contacted the young person’s partner on the phone and with a letter.
Advocate Thomas asked her: “[The partner] told the jury that she received a call. Did you make that alleged call?”
She replied: “No.”
Advocate Thomas asked: “Did you send [the partner] a letter signed ‘Denise Pirouet’?”
She said: “No.”
She also denied acts which the prosecution claim served to groom the child.
Mrs Pirouet continued denying the allegations when they were put to her by Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting.
Asked whether the child was mature for their age, she said: “I didn’t notice. Never.”
Mrs Pirouet, who at first cried but later appeared calm and spoke slowly as she gave evidence from the witness box, gave a small chuckle as she denied some of the more explicit allegations.
She said she would “never allow anything like that to happen”.
Crown Advocate Carvalho asked her: “[The child] was the one who kissed you first, is that right?”
Mrs Pirouet said: “No, that’s not right.”
The advocate said: “And you reciprocated by kissing [them] in return.”
Mrs Pirouet replied: “No. I did never kiss [them].”
She denied having the child touch her, or having the child masturbate her.
She told the court: “[They] did not do that. I would never have allowed it.
“I would never masturbate a child. No.”
She added: “It never happened.”
When Crown Advocate Carvalho described some of the alleged meetings between Mrs Pirouet and the child, she said: “That’s absolute nonsense.”
Commissioner Sir John Saunders is presiding over the jury trial.
