Katie Price has arrived at Lewes Crown Court to testify in the trial of her ex-husband Kieran Hayler, who is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. Hayler, 39, who was married to Price, 48, from 2013 to 2021, is charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexually assaulting the girl at an address in West Sussex.
Alleged offences in 2016
The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October 2016 at his family home. The girl, now aged 23, reported them to children’s charity NSPCC when she was 18 in December 2021; they referred the matter to police. She is not a member of Hayler or Price’s extended family.
The court has already heard how Hayler allegedly ‘pinned down’ the girl, who later told her mother that he ‘did things’ to her. Hayler denies all charges and has previously said the allegations are part of a ‘campaign’ against him, with a prosecutor telling the court he believes Price ‘set him up’.
Prosecution's warning
Ryan Richter said last week: ‘The prosecution asserts that there is no connection, and you should guard against being distracted by the troubled background that has played out between Mr Hayler and Ms Price as their relationship ended.
‘He felt that something had been “created”, and he was being set up.
‘Mr Hayler maintains that denial.’
Price's arrival at court
Pictured outside Lewes Crown Court this morning, wearing a brown leather coat and sunglasses, Price maintained an emotionless expression as she arrived to give evidence.
Earlier court hearings told the jury that Hayler allegedly begged the girl not to tell anyone about what happened and to ‘take it to the grave’.
‘I didn’t think he’d ever hurt me, but if I ever said anything, he would say I was lying or making it up and make me look a lot worse, so I never wanted to say anything,’ she shared. She thought it ‘wouldn’t end well for [her]’ if she spoke out, having said to officers in her original police interview: ‘I thought it was my fault for ages.’
Jurors further heard that Hayler allegedly told the girl sex was a ‘special thing’ and that they should do it. Hayler is said to have told the schoolgirl that he really liked her and allegedly sobbed before he abused her.
‘He started crying and saying, “Maybe I shouldn’t take it away from you; it’s so important”,’ she recalled.
The former stripper is accused of raping the child on two further occasions. Speaking after the alleged third incident, the girl told police: ‘I think by that point, I knew it wasn’t quite right. He kept telling me to “shh.” I had to be secretive and not tell anyone.’
Jurors were told that he said to her: ‘You can’t talk about it. You can’t tell anyone. I might get in trouble for this.’ The reality TV personality then allegedly put his hand down her trousers and assaulted her.
Hayler was first interviewed by police in January 2022, at which time he denied that anything sexual happened.
