Jury considering verdict in trial of accused presenter
THE jury trying a radio presenter accused of abusing a teenage boy in the 1980s retired to consider its verdicts yesterday afternoon.
Kevin Johns, 60, denies two counts of indecent assault on a boy aged under 16 in Swansea in the 1980s and is on trial at Caernarfon Crown Court.
On Wednesday, Johns told the jury there was “absolutely” no truth in the allegations.
Defence barrister Matthew Roberts, in his final speech to the jury, said there were inconsistencies in the prosecution evidence.
He told the jury the police had adopted a “tunnel vision” approach in unquestioningly accepting the allegations and in their subsequent investigation of them.
When she opened the case, prosecutor Elen Owen said the alleged incident happened in the 1980s when Johns was in his 20s and the alleged victim was in his early teens.
In a video interview, the alleged victim described how Johns began talking to him and asked if he had a girlfriend and whether he “played with himself”.
The alleged victim said he was “totally naive” and didn’t know what was going on.
On Wednesday, Johns went into the witness box to give evidence in his own defence and said he had “never” done anything sexually inappropriate with the alleged victim.
Yesterday, Mark Mathias, the former chief superintendent of South Wales Police’s western division, gave evidence to the court.
He said Johns showed “absolute” dedication to the community and described the defendant as “warm” and “a people person”.
David Hopkins, the deputy leader of Swansea Council and a former Lord Mayor, also gave evidence, describing the accused as “a true friend, a true professional”.
Following the conclusion of the defence case, both Miss Owen and Mr Roberts made closing speeches to the jury before they retired to consider verdicts on the two counts Johns faces.
Miss Owen told the jury Johns was at great pains to tell the court about his good works and the friends he had made “among the great and the good of Swansea”.
The prosecutor said, while she was sure what they had heard about the defendant’s involvement in the community was true, “this is not a popularity case”.
She said the complainant gave them a consistent and compelling account of the abuse.
Miss Owen added: “Only one person is lying to you and I am afraid that is the defendant.”
In his closing speech, defence counsel Mr Roberts said there were “failings” in the police investigation into the allegations from the very beginning, with the officer who questioned Johns after his arrest not even having watched the full 92-minute interview with the alleged victim.
He described that as a “disservice to the prosecution and a disservice to the defence” and said “fundamental failings permeated the investigation”.
He added that the police probe only went in one direction and there was never any attempt to find or consider other evidence.
The alleged victim of the abuse has lifelong anonymity.
Steve Barnes, senior content controller at Swansea Sound radio station, gave evidence in the form of a written statement which was read to the court by defence barrister Mr Roberts.
In his statement, the witness said he was worked alongside the defendant for 30 years as a friend and colleague.
He said during that time he and Johns had worked at “hundreds” of events involving children, from children’s parties to radio outside broadcasts and at “no time have concerns been raised” about the defendant’s behaviour.
The trial continues, with the jury resuming their deliberations this morning.