Katie Price told social services she feared Kieran Hayler had groomed & sexually abused teen ‘rape victim’, court hears
KATIE Price told social services she feared her then husband Kieran Hayler had groomed and sexually abused his alleged child rape victim, a court has heard.
The 39-year-old is accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against the girl between June and October 2016, when she was 13.
Katie told a social worker in 2018 that Hayler, 39, had been grooming the girl since she was 13 in a list of agreed facts read in Lewes Crown Court yesterday.
She alleged that Hayler had been grabbing the teen’s bottom, trying to kiss her and said he was falling in love with the girl, jurors heard.
The social worker then informed Sussex Police about the allegations.
Authorities contacted the mother soon after but she told police her daughter did not want to talk about it or take the allegations any further.
Defence barrister Arlette Piercy asked the mother if she had betrayed her daughter’s trust by going to Katie Price with her allegations in 2017 – nearly a year before she reported them to social services.
She asked: “You said you felt you had to tell Katie Price. “You went behind your daughter’s back?
The mum – who cannot be named for legal reasons – responded: “Yes, she probably didn’t want anyone to ever know.
“It probably did cause arguments. We did have a big fall out.”
Asked if the girl was “OK” about her telling Ms Price, the mum said: “No, she wasn’t OK about it.
“But I said to (the girl) because the marriage situation (with Kieran) had broken down, it was only fair that I let Katie know.”
The child told her mum that Hayler had “done everything” to her during a conversation in 2017 – almost a year after his last alleged attack, jurors were told.
The woman then informed former glamour model and mum-of-five Ms Price, 48, weeks after she was told.
Speaking about when she told Ms Price, the woman said she told her: “I think Kieran has done something to (the girl).”
She told the court: “She was shocked and probably swore.”
The mum said she felt “like I have to” tell Ms Price, who was having marriage problems with Hayler at the time.
She added: “She was quite angry and I didn’t feel that she was particularly upset for (the girl).
“I just felt that she was angry and feeling revengeful towards Kieran for the situation they were in.
“And she said, ‘Well, you could get him into trouble if you told somebody’.”
The woman – who said her daughter did not want to tell authorities about the allegations – continued: “I said we have to respect her wishes, she doesn’t want anybody to know, we have to just look after (the girl).”
The girl – now aged in her 20s – denied making up the claims and became emotional, leaving the courtroom at one point as she faced questions from Hayler’s legal team.
The court was shown a video of her police interview from 2021 where she recalled the alleged abuse, sobbing as she said “I thought it was my fault for ages”.
Jurors previously heard Hayler allegedly begged the girl to not tell anyone and told her to “take it to the grave”.
The court also heard previously that before the first alleged rape, Hayler told the schoolgirl he really liked her and began speaking to her about sex – he is accused of raping the girl again on two further occasions.
The girl, who is not a member of Hayler or Katie’s family, contacted the NSPCC in December 2021 when she was aged 18, which prompted an investigation, it was said.
Former stripper Hayler denies all the allegations, which are said to have happened at an address in West Sussex.
The trial at Lewes Crown Court continues.