Katie Price 'coached' alleged victim, court told
Kieran Hayler, on trial for rape and sexual assault, has testified that his ex-wife Katie Price was 'coaching' the alleged victim. Hayler claims the accusations are fabricated and that the messages he discovered on Price's phone suggest a breakdown in their relationship rather than criminal behavior.
Why it matters
The case highlights the complexities of high-profile legal proceedings involving allegations of sexual misconduct and the role of digital evidence in court.
Image source, Press Association' Image caption, Kieran Hayler denies all the charges against him
Kieran Hayler has told jurors he thought his ex-wife Katie Price was "coaching" a 13-year-old girl he is accused of raping after discovering messages she sent to the alleged victim.
Hayler, 39, said he took photographs of messages on Price's phone in which she discussed claims that he fancied the girl and wrote: "I will make you a little star."
Hayler is on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault involving the teenager in West Sussex in 2016.
Giving evidence on Thursday, the former stripper denied the allegations and said: "I believe they've been fabricated."
He told the trial that "trust had gone on both sides" of his marriage to Price by mid-2013, and he admitted affairs with three other women during their relationship.
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