Woman Breaks down in Court As Former Teacher Faces Sexual Abuse Charges

By James Johnson
Daily Echo
October 22, 2015

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/13886975.Woman_breaks_down_in_court_as_former_teacher_faces_sexual_abuse_charges/

Woman breaks down in court as former teacher faces sexual abuse charges

A WOMAN broke down in tears in court as she relived the moments she claimed to have been sexually abused by a former Hampshire teacher and church youth leader.

Michael McKenna, 72, is alleged to have indecently assaulted the woman over a period of six years.

Bournemouth Crown Court saw an interview recorded with the alleged victim in which she claimed McKenna abused her hundreds of times from the age of 13.

The former science teacher taught at Applemore Technology College and is accused of carrying out the assaults at his home on Springfield Avenue, Holbury.

In the interview the woman, who is now in her late 50s, said: “It made me feel good, it made me feel wanted and it made me feel loved, but when I came away I felt suicidal because I felt ‘this can’t be right – he’s a married man’.

“He used to listen to classical music and put that on in the background, and then we would sit close and then he touched me. There was One time he asked me for intercourse and he said ‘can we take this further’, but I didn’t even know the facts of life.

“I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t know what he was asking.”

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, McKenna is alleged to have groomed his victim by kissing her cheek before this progressed to him “fondling” the naked upper half of her body.

But in cross examination Roger Harrison, defending McKenna, drew attention to the victim’s interview where she admitted that despite the alleged offences taking place in the 1970s, she did not consider that she had been sexually abused until taking a psychology class in 2000.

Mr Harrison said that her claim that she was abused several times a week would mean she was abused hundreds of times, but when she was asked to recall them she could only remember two.

Mr Harrison said: “You are saying this man sexually abused you many, many times - several times a week.

“That would mean that he sexually abused you hundreds of times. You are saying there must have been hundreds of occasions when he took off your top, but when you are asked to recall particular occasions you can only remember two.

“This is all a complete fantasy, isn’t it?” The tearful woman replied: “It’s all the absolute truth.”

McKenna denies six charges of historic indecent assaults. Proceeding.