A well-known figure in English football arranged “cash for sex” sessions with a teenage girl he is accused of raping at his house and leaving with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to court documents.
The girl alleges that when she was 15 the man, who works in the Premier League, invited her to his house on a summer’s day in the 1990s to discuss a potential career opportunity.
He denies rape, or having any inappropriate relations with an under-age girl, but admits asking the teenager when she was 16 or 17 “if she wanted to earn some cash for sex” and that it became a regular pattern over the following years.
The man’s age cannot be disclosed, or any other details that could identify him, after a High Court judge granted an anonymity order last year to protect him from bad publicity and potential damage to his reputation and financial interests.
The woman, who must also remain anonymous for legal reasons, is suing for aggravated damages for sexual assault and intentional infliction of injury after alleging that he showed her round his house, then instructed her to sit on his knee, told her she was a “good girl” and asked if she was still a virgin. She claims she had been dropped off by her parents, who were waiting in their car outside, and recalled the tennis from Wimbledon being shown on television.
He is then alleged to have subjected her to a “disgusting and traumatising” ordeal before directing her to the bathroom to clean herself, telling her she was a “good girl” again and handing her £150 in three £50 notes on her return.
Her case is that she has been left with depression as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues. She says she was too scared at the time to report him because of the potential repercussions and “feelings of fear” that she or her family may come to harm.
She goes on to accept his claims that in the following years they had sex on a number of occasions but states, via her legal team, that she was under the belief that he would provide her with career opportunities “if she complied with his sexual demands.” She says her dealings with the defendant left her with “stigmatising feelings of shame, guilt and failure” and it took many years before she was able to report him.
The police investigation was dropped after it was deemed the case had been reported too late, the Premier League figure was not arrested and the case was left on file.
The alleged rapist, anonymised in court papers as JZX, strongly denies the allegations and says they are “dishonest and malicious.”
In his 17-page defence, seen by The Athletic, he also states “the implied contention that (he) might harm her or her family is wholly unfounded.”
He argues that he helped the woman on numerous occasions, including offering financial advice and support “in moments of crisis”, and that they were able to “enjoy a friendship” for more than 20 years after the alleged rape.
Although he accepts that he had initiated the “cash for sex” arrangement while she was 16 or 17, he goes on to allege that she had contacted him on numerous occasions over the following years to offer sexual favours in return for money.
“On the vast majority of occasions (he) has declined offers of sex, although he has engaged in sexual activity with the claimant on up to about 15 occasions in total over the years, for which he rewarded her with cash payments in line with her expectations,” the legal defence, signed by JZX, states.
“On one occasion, the defendant engaged in sexual activity with both the claimant and her sister, both of whom were looking to earn some cash.”
Many other details cannot be reported because of the decision to impose an anonymity order to “protect the interests of the defendant” and “secure the administration of justice.” The judge in the case decided there was “no sufficient countervailing public interest in disclosure.”
The alleged rapist continues to work as normal while awaiting a date for a High Court trial.
(Photo: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
