She was in his power

ZARA Marke’s relationship with a husband 22 years older than her hints at parallels to the grooming of the teenage victims outlined at the trial.

Jurors heard how she enrolled at the martial arts academy Victor ran with his instructor wife in Nottingham in 1999 – the year she turned 14.

Already a black belt, she became Victor’s ‘top student’ within two years and at 17 accepted him as her ‘master’ in an ancient Shaolin ceremony.

An enthusiast who once trained with the couple said: ‘The ceremony is taken very seriously in the martial arts world.

‘Once you accept somebody as your master, you have to completely accept what they ask you to do or say.

‘It’s like being a slave because you are at the mercy of the master. You are not even supposed to think for yourself because the master is your God.’ He added: ‘Victor groomed Zara as well as his other victims. He used his power and influence as a master of martial arts to dominate and control young girls.’

Marke, an ambassador for the World Martial Arts Council, began an affair with Victor when she was 19. His marriage broke down around 2005.