Exclusive:Jury retires in historic Havant child rape trial after multiple women filed police reports about ex-Army man
Chris Cotton, 64, says none of the accounts from the complainants were true.
The jury in an historic child rape trial has retired to consider its verdict.
Chris Cotton, 64 from Byfield Road, Hounslow, has been charged with 11 counts of sexual offences against children, reported to have taken place in Leigh Park during the 1970s. He denies all charges.
Cotton, who joined the Army in 1979, has stood trial after three women came forward with reports of sexual offences committed against them. They have a life-long right to anonymity.
All three women gave accounts of multiple incidents, which they told the jury they had endured at Cotton's hands when they were children. The youngest was three years old at the time the offences allegedly took place, the court heard.
At Portsmouth Crown Court today (Tuesday, September 15), Judge Daniel Sawyer summarised the case, before the jury retired to begin deliberations.
He said: "The allegations span a number of years, the earliest being when Cotton was leaving school and joining the army. His first posting was to Germany in 1979.
"One woman said he put her on his lap and touched her when she was three years old. She said it lasted for a couple of seconds, and that she doesn't remember how that incident finished. She later described another similar incident, as well as a third from when she was a bit older.
"She said that she didn't tell anyone at the time because she was 'scared' of Cotton. He denies all of this.
"Another woman said he put his hand up her and touched her. She recalled that she froze, and started to cry. The incident lasted for about five minutes, then it stopped.
"She also told us that she was taken into a loft, where she was sexually abused. She added that she didn't say anything at the time, because Cotton said he would 'cut her throat'. He said none of this was true.
"Cotton denies that he ever touched these ladies in the way that they described."
The jury, who were retired at 1.15pm, has been asked to reach a unanimous verdict, with Judge Sawyer saying they had "as long as it takes" to finish deliberations.