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| Rotherham sex abuse victim treated like a slave, jury told | Rotherham sex abuse victim treated like a slave, jury told |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| One of the alleged victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham has told a jury she was treated like a slave in the house where she was assaulted by a “Pakistani male”. | One of the alleged victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham has told a jury she was treated like a slave in the house where she was assaulted by a “Pakistani male”. |
| The woman, who recalled being 15 or 16 at the time, said she had been taken into the property by one of the women on trial after becoming homeless in the late 1980s. | The woman, who recalled being 15 or 16 at the time, said she had been taken into the property by one of the women on trial after becoming homeless in the late 1980s. |
| At the time she viewed Karen MacGregor, now 58, as a second mother because she bought her makeup, clothes and cigarettes and was “a good listener”, the court heard. | At the time she viewed Karen MacGregor, now 58, as a second mother because she bought her makeup, clothes and cigarettes and was “a good listener”, the court heard. |
| But she told police in an interview this summer after reporting the alleged assault that she now realised she got that wrong and MacGregor’s intentions had not been maternal. She is one of a dozen alleged victims involved in the trial of seven people – five men and two women – accused of more than 50 counts of abuse through their supposed involvement in a grooming ring. | But she told police in an interview this summer after reporting the alleged assault that she now realised she got that wrong and MacGregor’s intentions had not been maternal. She is one of a dozen alleged victims involved in the trial of seven people – five men and two women – accused of more than 50 counts of abuse through their supposed involvement in a grooming ring. |
| During a police interview played to the jury on the second day of the trial at Sheffield crown court, the woman said: “I remember one night, I had a lot to drink, vodka, I got really drunk. Karen took me upstairs with this male, a Pakistani male, [they] put me on the bed. I must have passed out. When I woke up I got no trousers on and the male was touching me down below. | During a police interview played to the jury on the second day of the trial at Sheffield crown court, the woman said: “I remember one night, I had a lot to drink, vodka, I got really drunk. Karen took me upstairs with this male, a Pakistani male, [they] put me on the bed. I must have passed out. When I woke up I got no trousers on and the male was touching me down below. |
| “He was touching me down below internally. So I shouted help twice, really loud, nobody would come upstairs, so I just fell back to sleep.” | “He was touching me down below internally. So I shouted help twice, really loud, nobody would come upstairs, so I just fell back to sleep.” |
| Through tears, she told the court the man hurt her when touching her internally. “He had two right big gold rings on his hand,” she said. | Through tears, she told the court the man hurt her when touching her internally. “He had two right big gold rings on his hand,” she said. |
| She told the jury there were usually two or three men in the house in the early hours of the morning but she assumed they were MacGregor’s friends at In Time Taxis, where MacGregor worked as a base operator. | |
| One of the men she recalled had “a right funny looking eye” and was nicknamed Blind Ash, a name the prosecution alleges refers to Qurban Ali, one of the other defendants in the trial. | One of the men she recalled had “a right funny looking eye” and was nicknamed Blind Ash, a name the prosecution alleges refers to Qurban Ali, one of the other defendants in the trial. |
| MacGregor denies one count of conspiracy to rape between 1987 and 1989, while Ali denies separate charges not related to this alleged victim, who is one of the 12 involved in the case that covers a catalogue of alleged abuse in Rotherham from 1987 to 2003 including rape, abduction, indecent assault, false imprisonment and procurement of under 21-year-olds for prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse with another. | MacGregor denies one count of conspiracy to rape between 1987 and 1989, while Ali denies separate charges not related to this alleged victim, who is one of the 12 involved in the case that covers a catalogue of alleged abuse in Rotherham from 1987 to 2003 including rape, abduction, indecent assault, false imprisonment and procurement of under 21-year-olds for prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse with another. |
| The alleged victim, who said she left home because her parents were always arguing, said she initially thought MacGregor was very kind. “She would like buy us takeaways, makeup, clothes, underwear, bedding, drink, spirits, cigs, everything. We didn’t have to work because she provided us with it all,” she said. | The alleged victim, who said she left home because her parents were always arguing, said she initially thought MacGregor was very kind. “She would like buy us takeaways, makeup, clothes, underwear, bedding, drink, spirits, cigs, everything. We didn’t have to work because she provided us with it all,” she said. |
| But MacGregor used to lock them in the house during the day because she did not want them opening the door to debt collectors. “She used to lock the bloody door all the time and we couldn’t get out,” the alleged victim said. | But MacGregor used to lock them in the house during the day because she did not want them opening the door to debt collectors. “She used to lock the bloody door all the time and we couldn’t get out,” the alleged victim said. |
| She said MacGregor was very particular that the girls should be well presented. “She were right specific, [you’d] get up in the morning, had to have a bath or shower, get your self made up and then go down.” | She said MacGregor was very particular that the girls should be well presented. “She were right specific, [you’d] get up in the morning, had to have a bath or shower, get your self made up and then go down.” |
| Asked why this was, she replied: “I never thought of it, like being a teenager you wouldn’t answer the fucking door without makeup on, so I just thought it were normal,” the woman said. | Asked why this was, she replied: “I never thought of it, like being a teenager you wouldn’t answer the fucking door without makeup on, so I just thought it were normal,” the woman said. |
| She told police she did not pay any rent but spent days in the house cleaning it from top to bottom. “All she wanted us to do was clean, we were on our hands and knees all the time scrubbing carpets, scrubbing settee, washing curtains, washing windows, stairs, changing bedding all the time, we were like slaves,” she said. | She told police she did not pay any rent but spent days in the house cleaning it from top to bottom. “All she wanted us to do was clean, we were on our hands and knees all the time scrubbing carpets, scrubbing settee, washing curtains, washing windows, stairs, changing bedding all the time, we were like slaves,” she said. |
| She told police in an interview that she did not drink at the time, but on the night of the assault she remembered sitting on the floor and drinking alcohol. | She told police in an interview that she did not drink at the time, but on the night of the assault she remembered sitting on the floor and drinking alcohol. |
| “I was sat on floor behind the settee with my back on the back of the settee and just drinking it like it were water, on its own,” she said. | |
| She said she felt dizzy and fell on her side and remembers MacGregor “just laughing”. That’s when she alleges she was taken upstairs and sexually assaulted. | She said she felt dizzy and fell on her side and remembers MacGregor “just laughing”. That’s when she alleges she was taken upstairs and sexually assaulted. |
| She said she passed out, but when she regained consciousness she had no trousers or knickers on and a man was sitting on the bed touching her. | She said she passed out, but when she regained consciousness she had no trousers or knickers on and a man was sitting on the bed touching her. |
| She said she screamed twice for help, “really loud”, but nobody came to her aid. “I thought she were my second mother but turned out totally wrong. She must have known, shouting out, why would she have not come upstairs [after the assault] if she cared for me that much,” said the alleged victim. | She said she screamed twice for help, “really loud”, but nobody came to her aid. “I thought she were my second mother but turned out totally wrong. She must have known, shouting out, why would she have not come upstairs [after the assault] if she cared for me that much,” said the alleged victim. |
| Under cross-examination, she agreed she did not feel in danger in MacGregor’s house and that she had continued living with her after the alleged assault. She agreed she remained on good terms with MacGregor and had not mentioned the alleged assault until police approached her recently. | Under cross-examination, she agreed she did not feel in danger in MacGregor’s house and that she had continued living with her after the alleged assault. She agreed she remained on good terms with MacGregor and had not mentioned the alleged assault until police approached her recently. |
| The defence also put it to her that because she had passed out on the night of the alleged assault, she did not know what MacGregor had done that night. “It could have been that Karen and the Asian left and the Asian man returned,” she was asked. “Yeah,” replied the alleged victim. | The defence also put it to her that because she had passed out on the night of the alleged assault, she did not know what MacGregor had done that night. “It could have been that Karen and the Asian left and the Asian man returned,” she was asked. “Yeah,” replied the alleged victim. |
| All seven defendants deny the charges. | All seven defendants deny the charges. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |