Claim hands put down top ‘all the time’

THE alleged victim of a former director of a homeless charity has told a court he “started taking an interest” in her when she was at primary school.

Peter Lewis, 77, a former member of the trustee board of the Cardiff-based Huggard homeless charity, is facing trial at Newport Crown Court accused of 16 counts of indecent assault dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.

The allegations against the defendant involve sexual touching over a period of eight years from when the complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was between nine and 17 years old.

Lewis, of Station Road, Llanishen, denies the allegations, none of which are related to his former role with Huggard.

Yesterday, the complainant gave evidence before the jury from behind a screen. A taped police interview with the complainant, in which she detailed the alleged sexual abuse, was played to the court the previous day.

Defence barrister Lucy Crowther said: “Mr Lewis does not accept that he did anything to you. Have you been told that he does not accept he has done anything to you?”

The complainant said: “It surprises me because he has talked about it openly with my family for 20 years.”

Ms Crowther continued: “The first thing you are telling the police is that the abuse started from roughly the age of eight until you are 17. You modify that later and you thought it was from 10.”

The complainant said: “I changed schools at the age of seven and it was during my second year that Peter started taking an interest in me. He started showing me kindness and he found a way into my family which was quite volatile at the time.”

When Ms Crowther again questioned the allegations against Mr Lewis, the complainant said: “I am flabbergasted by your question. The grooming started when I was eight-years-old and the man had his hands over me from the age of 10 to 17. I find it staggeringly offensive.

“From the age of eight I had a feeling of discomfort around him and by the time I was 10 he had his hand down my pants.”

She added: “[Lewis] was very much into grabbing me in public. He had his arm around me and he dropped his hand down my trousers and down to my bottom. It was like everything closed in on me. I was the most quiet child you could find. It’s easy to transpose adult feelings but I didn’t think of that. He was very clever, he did it all the time like that.”

The complainant also answered questions about a specific allegation when the defendant allegedly sexually assaulted her in his bathroom.

She said: “The element of coercion was massive and it fills me with horror knowing he is sitting here, lying, knowing that’s how he treated me. That time was significant because he was in a blue robe and was off work and that was the first time I saw his [genitals].”

When asked by Ms Crowther how she felt, the complainant said: “I was upset but it was my normal. He was putting his hands down my top all the time.”

When asked why she did not tell anyone about the alleged abuse, the complainant added: “It was a very complex thing. This was a man who was kind and could show love and do exciting things for me but there was another side. Noone would trust their children with an obvious paedophile. I was so confused and I didn’t know what was normal, I didn’t really understand.”

In her closing statement, Ms Crowther said: “[Lewis] does not accept he has done anything to you. None of this has happened.”

The complainant replied: “You will understand that people have witnessed his behaviour.”

The trial continues.