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| Michael Le Vell's accuser telling absolute truth, court told | Michael Le Vell's accuser telling absolute truth, court told |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The girl who claims she was repeatedly raped by the Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell was telling "the absolute truth", a jury heard on Monday. | The girl who claims she was repeatedly raped by the Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell was telling "the absolute truth", a jury heard on Monday. |
| Eleanor Laws, QC, prosecuting, said: "She is not hellbent on revenge. She is not bitter, twisted or whatever else. She was brought up to tell the truth, and she has only come to court to give evidence because it is the truth, it is the absolute truth." | Eleanor Laws, QC, prosecuting, said: "She is not hellbent on revenge. She is not bitter, twisted or whatever else. She was brought up to tell the truth, and she has only come to court to give evidence because it is the truth, it is the absolute truth." |
| In her closing speech, Laws urged the jurors to remind themselves of what the alleged victim had said in evidence and how she had done so. | In her closing speech, Laws urged the jurors to remind themselves of what the alleged victim had said in evidence and how she had done so. |
| Laws asked: "What was your reaction to listening to her? Was she a wicked, convincing liar, or did you sit there and listen to it and think she was telling the truth? Because that is all she could do." | Laws asked: "What was your reaction to listening to her? Was she a wicked, convincing liar, or did you sit there and listen to it and think she was telling the truth? Because that is all she could do." |
| It was absurd, Laws said, to think that Le Vell's alleged victim had come up with "a pack of devious lies" as an act of revenge. | It was absurd, Laws said, to think that Le Vell's alleged victim had come up with "a pack of devious lies" as an act of revenge. |
| "What he says about her doesn't hold water at all, and you should remind yourselves of what she said and how she said it." | "What he says about her doesn't hold water at all, and you should remind yourselves of what she said and how she said it." |
| Le Vell, who plays the car mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV soap, denies five counts of rape and seven other sex offences against a single complainant. He is appearing at Manchester crown court under his real name, Michael Turner. | Le Vell, who plays the car mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV soap, denies five counts of rape and seven other sex offences against a single complainant. He is appearing at Manchester crown court under his real name, Michael Turner. |
| The jury of eight women and four men are expected to retire either later on Monday or on Tuesday morning. | The jury of eight women and four men are expected to retire either later on Monday or on Tuesday morning. |
| Le Vell had asked in evidence: "Why would I do this? Why would I take the risk?" | Le Vell had asked in evidence: "Why would I do this? Why would I take the risk?" |
| Laws said: "These offences took place where there were just two individuals … That is why this type of abuse can go on for years and years and go on undetected." | Laws said: "These offences took place where there were just two individuals … That is why this type of abuse can go on for years and years and go on undetected." |
| Such perpetrators silenced their victims "by seeing how far they can go, and secondly by saying things like 'it's our secret'" she said. | Such perpetrators silenced their victims "by seeing how far they can go, and secondly by saying things like 'it's our secret'" she said. |
| "It's part of the offending. That risk-taking is what it's all about. People do take that risk, and drink is a great de-inhibitor." | "It's part of the offending. That risk-taking is what it's all about. People do take that risk, and drink is a great de-inhibitor." |
| Laws told the jury: "If you are sure [girl X] is telling the truth, you can and must convict, even if it's the evidence of just one person. If someone is abusing a child, all that child can do is say it happened. | Laws told the jury: "If you are sure [girl X] is telling the truth, you can and must convict, even if it's the evidence of just one person. If someone is abusing a child, all that child can do is say it happened. |
| "If you are sure, but are saying to yourself 'it's just her word', it would be quite wrong – if he's done it – to simply walk away." | "If you are sure, but are saying to yourself 'it's just her word', it would be quite wrong – if he's done it – to simply walk away." |
| Laws reminded the jury that the morning after the girl had disclosed the alleged abuse to her mother, her first words had been: "Am I safe?" | Laws reminded the jury that the morning after the girl had disclosed the alleged abuse to her mother, her first words had been: "Am I safe?" |
| NEW FROM HERE | |
| Alisdair Williamson, defending, asked the jury: "Are you going to take a man's life away from him? Are you going to cast him to the outer darkness of being a child rapist?" | |
| He mocked the assertion that Le Vell was guilty, saying: "Welcome to the prosecution's hall of mirrors, where left is right and right is left." | |
| Williamson highlighted what he said was a number of "inconsistencies" in the complainant's accounts of being attacked. | |
| She had told a family friend: "It's true. It happened when I was 10." | |
| "Later, she told a group of friends, 'It happened 10 times'. Where did she get the figure 10 from? | |
| "Had she really been raped as a young child it would have been extremely painful. | |
| "There wasn't even a muffled scream. She just didn't make a sound. Is that real?" | |
| The allegations against Le Vell amounted to "an unrealistic lie from a naive girl", said Williamson. | |
| He added: "To you or I, who know the ways of the world, it doesn't ring true at all." | |
| The truth was that the girl was filled with "hatred and bile" towards Le Vell, he added. | |
| Williamson asked the jury to consider Le Vell's performance in the witness box. "Do you think he was telling the truth? Was it the scared and frightened evidence of a man who faces the most unbelievable and terrible thing? | |
| "He is a man, not a character. A weak man, a stupid man, a drunk man. But nothing in this case has taken you anywhere near, I suggest, the level of certainty that you would need for you to look in the mirror in the days that come and say 'I'm sure'. | |
| 'I suggest you can't be." | |
| On each count the only fair verdict was one of not guilty, Williamson said. | |
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