Gosport man accused of raping child apologised to alleged victim in text messages, court hears
Alex Kaunda, 26 from St Nicholas Avenue in Gosport, is charged with one count of assaulting a child under 13 via penetration and six counts of raping a child under 13.
A man accused of raping a child sent text messages to his accuser apologising, a prosecutor has argued.
Alex Kaunda, 26 from St Nicholas Avenue in Gosport, has been charged with one count of assaulting a child under 13 via penetration and six counts of raping a child under 13. His alleged victim has a life-long right to anonymity.
At Portsmouth Crown Court today, Kaunda gave evidence in-person, and was cross-examined by both prosecution and defence barristers. Taking to the stand, he repeatedly denied the allegations, but conceded he had difficulty adjusting to life in the UK, moving here from Malawi when he was 13 years old.
He said: “It was very difficult, having to change the way I used to behave in Malawi and adapt to a whole new environment. I arrived in March 2013 and had to wait until Sepember to start my education.
“I never touched her. I never raped her, undressed her, blackmailed or threatened her.”
In particular, there was focus on exchanges of messages between Kaunda’s phone and that of his accuser, including one instance of him apologising to her. The defendant says he was not apologising for any form of sexual assault.
Kaunda said: “I was apologising for not being there for her. There were multiple occasions where I could have stepped in and stopped things from happening.
“I felt very emotional because I knew she was misunderstood. This is the effect of everything that’s happened to her, and I felt she needed to hear that from me.
“I made it clear what I was apologising for. She just said ‘I don’t know why you’re talking’ but she was calm.”
Kaunda also told the court that in an exchange, it was in fact his girlfriend talking to his alleged accuser on his phone.
Prosecuting, Gary Venturi said: “These messages are in your writing, and your style. It’s ridiculous.
“She could not write this off the top of her head, could she?”
Kaunda said: “She had been around her, and she understood very well.”
Mr Venturi replied: “You’re just not being truthful.”
Kaunda’s girlfriend, who also gave evidence, told the court that she had sent those messages herself, while Kaunda was in the shower. The text conversation spanned the course of roughly one hour.
Proceeding