6:31pm Monday 20th October 2008
By Court Reporter
A teenager who has accused a group of men of gang-raping her and pouring acid over her body to destroy DNA evidence had lied to police about a previous sexual assault, Wood Green Crown Court heard.
In a previous taped police interview, the 16-year-old, who gave evidence via video-link today, had told police she had been raped by a man she knew when they went out for a drive in his car.
But at the court in Lordship Lane she told the jury she could not remember making the accusation and said she had consented to sex with him.
Stella Reynolds, defending, said: "You got into the car and he drove round the corner. This is what you said to police.
"You said you went round the corner, and that’s when he sexually assaulted you in the car. Later on you were asked about what you meant by ‘sexual assault’. You explained he stopped the car, put the light on, and pushed you down in the seat, and you explained that he had sex with you and you did not want to have sex with him."
"No", the victim replied.
Referring to further video evidence, Ms Reynolds asked: "Did you speak to one of your friends after this interview? Did you speak to your friend and say something like, 'I told police that he had sexually assaulted me but it was not true?'".
Again, the girl replied no.
"If you were to say something about sex in the car with him now, would you say it was rape?", Ms Reynolds asked.
"No", the teenager said.
The girl, who has learning difficulties, was said to have been lured to an empty home in Antill Road, Tottenham, on January 9, where she was raped by up to ten men and her body covered "head to toe" in caustic soda to hide the evidence.
She was left "naked, screaming, crying and in a desperate state" as the gang ran away laughing, the prosecution alleged earlier this week.
After the alleged attack she was unable to talk for a month and the burns to her skin have left her physically disfigured.
On trial charged with rape are Bradley Daley-Smith, 21, and Miguel Almedia, 22, both from Edmonton, Ismail Opeyemi, 20, of no fixed address, Hector Muaimba, 20, from Walthamstow, and Bruno Abrantes, 24, Jason Brew, 18, and Rogel McMorris, also 18, all from Tottenham.
McMorris, Daley-Smith, Abrantes, Brew and Muaimba are additionally charged with grievous bodily harm.
The defendants deny all charges. The trial continues.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/trade_directory/