Katie Price's ex-husband Kieran Hayler allegedly told a 13-year-old girl he 'loved' her after raping her for a third time, a court has heard. Hayler, 39, is on trial at Lewes Crown Court charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He denies all charges and has pleaded not guilty.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place in West Sussex between June and October 2016, while Hayler was married to Price, 48.
Evidence in court
Giving evidence on Wednesday, the complainant, who is now 23, denied making up the allegations as she was questioned by Hayler's legal team. The court heard that following the third alleged rape, Hayler sent her a text reading: 'I love you goodnight.' She replied: 'I love you too.'
The woman became emotional while giving evidence and at one stage had to leave the courtroom to be sick. Jurors were also shown footage of a police interview from 2021 in which she could be seen crying as she described the alleged abuse.
'I thought it was my fault for ages,' she told officers. 'I think I lied to my mum. I don't think I told her it was sex. I think I told her he touched me.'
'I thought it was my fault that it happened, for ages. Because I kind of thought I should've done more about it. I kind of let him do it, so I blamed myself for ages.'
Alleged threats and warnings
The court heard that Hayler allegedly told the girl not to tell anyone about what had happened and instructed her to 'take it to the grave'. She said she was not 'frightened' of Hayler but believed speaking out 'wouldn't end well' for her.
'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 said.
The woman contacted the NSPCC in December 2021, when she was 18, which prompted a police investigation. Explaining why she eventually came forward, she said she did not want to discover years later that Hayler had allegedly done the same thing to somebody else.
She recalled seeing something about him in the news which portrayed him as 'lovely', telling police: 'I got this rage inside.'
'He's ruined my relationships with other people, he's ruined sex for me. I was so angry,' she said. 'I got on my phone and started emailing the NSPCC.'
Alleged grooming and police interview
The court previously heard that before the first alleged rape, Hayler told the schoolgirl he liked her and began talking to her about sex. He allegedly described sex as a 'special thing' and spoke about the importance of her first time.
In her police interview, the woman said he presented it as a 'good thing I needed to do'. She alleged Hayler then began crying and told her: 'Maybe I shouldn't take it away from you, it's so important.'
Speaking in her police interview about the third alleged incident, she said: 'I think by that point I knew it wasn't quite right…' She told police: 'He kept telling me to "shh", I had to be secretive and not tell anyone.'
Hayler allegedly warned her: 'You can't talk about it, you can't tell anyone, I might get in trouble for this.'
Jurors heard that the complainant had previously told her mother Hayler 'did things to me' and 'pinned me down'. Prosecutor Ryan Richter said that when her mother asked what he had done, she replied: 'Well, he did everything to me, mum.'
Contact with Katie Price and defence
The woman also told police that Price contacted her on Instagram after she came forward. According to the complainant, Price wrote: 'I know you are going through a tough time and I support you in everything.'
She said she thanked Price for her support but told her she could not discuss the matter. 'I thought she would screenshot it and send it to Kieran, so I deleted it and blocked her,' she told police.
Hayler was interviewed by police in January 2022 and denied that any sexual activity with the girl had taken place. The court has heard that he claims the allegations were created as part of a 'campaign' against him by Price following the breakdown of their marriage.
Richter told jurors that the prosecution says there is 'no connection' between the allegations and the former couple's acrimonious split. '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 said.
The court heard Hayler believed something had been 'created' and that he was being 'set up'. 'Mr Hayler maintains that denial,' Richter added.
Price, who married Hayler in the Bahamas in 2013, is expected to give evidence during the trial. The former couple were married until 2021 and share two children. Hayler, a former stripper and actor, later became engaged to Michelle Penticost. The couple, who share a son, split in 2025.
The trial continues.
