Child sex abuse trial: Alleged victim "lied to protect family"

Sheffield Crown Court heard today that the woman made the statement in 2003 when Hussain was arrested by police at Manchester Airport for drug offences after they returned from holiday, saying that their relationship had been “mainly fine” and he had never been violent towards her.

Ms Gillian Batts, for Hussain, said this was the truth and what she had told police recently about his physical and sexual abuse was a lie.

The woman said she had seen his arrest as her “escape” from him because police told her he was “going away for a long time” — at least seven years, she believed.

Ms Batts said this would have been the ideal opportunity to tell the police about her abuse.

She answered: “For who, to believe me?

“Why would I drag all that up?

“It was a relief they had got him and he had gone, that was my way out.”

Ms Batts said: “So you agree you lied in a statement to the police?”

The woman (33), said: “I lied to protect myself and my family.”

The defence barrister said that when a police officer visited the woman’s home in October 2013 she had been asked questions about certain people, including Hussain.

Ms Batts said the woman told police she had been in a relationship with him but was not a victim of abuse.

The witness replied: “I said that because I didn’t want any more to do with it, I didn’t want to go through that horrible feeling.

“I said that to just end it all.”

The woman said she went to the police five months later in March 2014 because the visit had caused her to suffer from depression and flashbacks and she felt she needed to finally tell someone.

Ms Batts suggested that some of the claims she had made about being forced into oral sex, being bound and having petrol poured over her, were identical to references made in the independent enquiry (Jay report) she had heard about in the news.

Ms Batts said: “You have taken your inspiration for your allegations from the contents of this enquiry.”

She replied: “They are not inspirations, it was my life.”

Ms Batts added: “Every allegation you have made is set out on page one of that report.”

The witness answered: “I have not read a report, that was my life, not a story, no coincidence.”

Mr Tair Khan, for co-defendant Arshid Hussain, said the woman’s claims that Arshid forced her to perform oral sex on men were fabricated.

The woman said there was no doubt in her mind it had been Arshid who had blindfolded, tied her up and forced her to carry out the sex acts.

She said he was present for around three of the times it had happened.

A statement from the complainant’s mother was read to the jury.

In it she said she did not see Basharat and her daughter’s relationship as normal and he seemed to control her.

She said her daughter became withdrawn and Basharat would “just let himself into our house and go straight up to her room”.

She added: “He would never say hello, I thought he was rude and disrespectful.”

The jury has now been released from the trial for the Christmas break and will return on January 4.

Arshid and Basharat Hussain deny all the charges against them.