Ash scout master attacked girls in his car, court hears

Man, 33, told girls ‘everyone will hate you’ if they spoke out about his sexual assaults

A SCOUT master from Ash has gone on trial accused of multiple sexual offences, including raping a child.

Jonathan Lynas, of Beverley Close, denies nine charges of rape, one of attempted rape, two charges of sexual activity with a child and one of sexual assault.

The allegations relate to three complainants, two of whom were under 16 at the time of the alleged offences.

Prosecutor Simon Connolly told the jury at the start of the trial at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday how Lynas, 33, attacked a child at a party in 2004, waiting for her to come out of the toilet before pushing her up against an airing cupboard, holding her hands above her head while using his other hand to lift her skirt and grope her.

The girl went home and told her parents; the police were informed and spoke to Lynas, but no charges were brought.

“She was significantly affected by this incident,” said Mr Connolly. “This was her first sexual experience – it was a man forcing himself on her against her will.”

Lynas was leader of the 2nd Aldershot Scouts but was suspended by the scout association after his arrest last year. None of the complainants were members of the group.

The court heard how Lynas ‘groomed’ another young teenager, ahead of raping her over a two-year period.

On one occasion the defendant is said to have driven the victim to a secluded spot and sexually attacked her, but she screamed and Lynas eventually stopped, warning her not to tell anyone about the incident or ‘everyone would hate her’.

Mr Connolly said the defendant’s behaviour soon ‘escalated’, raping the second complainant several times and always repeating the warning that she should not tell anyone.

“She was terrified and did as she was told,” added Mr Connolly.

“There is also an element of the child going along with what was happening because she had been groomed,” he added.

“A girl of that age is going to take the threat of everyone hating her extremely seriously.”

In a further incident which again allegedly took place in the defendant’s car while it was parked at secluded position, Lynas warned the complainant that if she did not cooperate with him he would say that she had ‘come onto him’, according to Mr Connolly.

The prosecutor went on to tell the jury how Lynas repeatedly raped an adult, often subjecting her to physical as well as sexual violence.

He invited the jury to consider the ‘similarities in the defendant’s dominating behaviour’, as alleged by the different complainants.

“In all instances he attempted to normalise his behaviour and continue as if nothing had happened,” he added.

Lynas denies that any of the alleged incidents took place. The trial is expected to continue into next week.