adminA woman who’d fallen into arrears with her rent was let off the payments in return for helping a relative of her landlord find a teenage girl he could rape, a court heard.Muriel Coleman, 50, made no attempt to stop Hassan Akhtar — whose family owned the flat she rented — repeatedly rape a teenager between December 2012 and March 2013, the jury was told.
Akhtar told police Coleman is trying to frame him and it was in fact her he had sex with, an act he said was consensual. Akhtar, 37, denies four counts of rape and one attempted rape.
The alleged rapes are said to have happened after Coleman, from Durham, found herself in financial difficulties.
Sarah Mallett, prosecuting, said the alleged crimes came to light when the young woman confided in a friend.
Concerned, the pal then alerted police who contacted the alleged victim — who cannot be named for legal reasons — for an interview.
Durham Crown Court heard Akhtar had targeted the young woman at a flat in the Stanley area of County Durham and at his own home in Northgate, Stanley, while his wife and family were visiting relatives in Pakistan.
The jury also heard Akhtar tried to groom the young woman by giving her gifts and promising to help her career.
Ms Mallett said despite the teenager asking him to stop the alleged rapes, Akhtar is said to have told her to “shut up” and that “men liked it”. — Reuters
Online Reporter