A NIGHT out to see a psychic at a Leeds pub led to two women reporting 'buried' sex abuse they suffered as young girls in the 1990s at the hands of the same man, a jury heard.
One 20-year-old woman burst into tears after the psychic suggested she may have been abused as a child, Leeds Crown Court heard.
She confided in her childhood friend during the night out of an incident of abuse she allegedly suffered as a youngster while visiting Terrance Dunstan, 61, at his home in Morley.
HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE YEP'S NEW COMMUNITY WEBSITES?Click here for a full run down of the 12 sites launched to date - all featuring ultra local news, sport and entertainment.The court heard the same friend, now aged 19, had previously claimed repeated abuse by Dunstan she endured from aged nine to eleven.
But the jury heard her parents didn't believe her at the time and she had to apologise to Dunstan.
Prosecutor, Richard Mansell told the jury the trip to see the psychic ended with the girls resolving to contact police on advice from the 20-year-old's father.
Mr Mansell said: "She burst into tears and then went to one side with (her friend) and told her, for the first time, that on one occasion the defendant had sexually abused her. As a result of that event, the two women talking about the whole thing, they decided to go to the police and made their complaint in late October 2007."
The court heard after police arrested Dunstan he told officers he may have accidentally touched girls over their clothes while play fighting, but denied any abuse.
A third woman, now aged 17, later came forward and made allegations that father-of-eight Dunstan had abused her as a child.
Giving evidence, the 19-year-old told the court Dunstan showed her pornographic magazines in his bedroom.
She said the abuse would happen three to five times a week in Dunstan's shed, bathroom and bedroom.
Mr Mansell asked her why she and her friend went to police so many years after the alleged abuse.
The girl replied: "I found out he had touched her as well….We went to that psychic night."
Dunstan is charged with three sample counts of indecently assaulting a girl aged between nine and 11 between November 1997 and November 2000; one charge of indecently assaulting a girl aged between 10 and 11 between January 1998 and January 2000; and one charge of indecent assaulting a girl aged between nine and ten between September 1999 and September 2001.
He denies all the charges.
Proceeding
The full article contains 451 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
