Volunteer Met Police knew rape victim was young, court told

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgjy1lj7j0wo

Version 0 of 1.

Gwyn Samuels now identifies as a woman but was known as James Bubb at the time of the alleged offences

A Metropolitan Police volunteer told his alleged rape victim he wanted to have sex with her despite knowing she was "so young" that she was still interested in teddy bears.

In a police interview, she said she was 12 when James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels, first attacked her.

The 27-year-old is on trial at Amersham Law Courts, accused of grooming and raping her, and of raping another woman and using police restraint techniques while performing sex acts.

The defendant, of High Street, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, denies all charges.

Prosecutor Richard Milne explained to the court on Monday that the defendant and the alleged victims would be referred to by their biological sex throughout the trial when discussing the allegations.

In a police interview played to the court on Tuesday, the alleged victim told officers she was "frozen" when the defendant attempted to engage in sexual activity with her in public shortly before her 13th birthday.

She told officers although she had pretended to be five years older, a number of incidents would have made the defendant aware she was under the age of consent.

The court heard how the pair had met in person at a Christian festival where Mr Bubb was working as a volunteer steward and she was wearing a colour-coded child's wristband, which was clearly on show.

The alleged victim said that when they met alone: "He was really paranoid, looking around constantly."

She added: "We were in a relationship in my eyes but I was being hidden whenever we were in public.

"I was actually so young at that point that I had a teddy bear in my tent. He knew at the time that I was very much interested in things like teddies."

When he spoke of entering her tent she told him she was uncomfortable, she told officers.

She recalled: "I believe he sent me a text on Snapchat at that point and he said he was probably going to come into my tent either way - maybe while I was sleeping.

"I remember being scared that night."

She went on to speak about how Mr Bubb was violent during sex and had put his hands around her throat when they first had sex.

At other times, he would punch her or speak of raping her, the court heard.

The defendant has denied one count of rape in relation to one complainant and two counts of rape, two counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, one count of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration in relation to the other complainant.

All the alleged offences are said to have taken place between 1 January 2018 and 2 April 2024.

The trial continues.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.