Alleged victims changed their story in Calcot man Anthony Shackell’s rape trial, jury told
A WOMAN who claims she was violently raped as a child was asked: “Why didn’t you scream?”
The alleged victim was being cross examined on her evidence in the trial of Anthony Shackell, who is said to have threatened her family if she did not comply.
The 81-year-old, of Mey Close, Calcot, is also accused of raping another girl and of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old.
Both the two main complainants admitted changing the initial account they gave to police.
At Reading Crown Court, Simon Molyneux, defending, asked the first complainant: “Didn’t you scream at him, ‘you disgusting man, get your hands out of my trousers, what do you think you are doing?’”
She replied: “No.”
Mr Molyneux pressed: Never?”
The woman replied: “Not once.
“At the time, I was a scared child.”
Meanwhile the second complainant has told how Shackell would abuse her in a similar way before allegedly raping her.
But she conceded, under cross examination, that her initial complaint to police had made no mention of actual rape.
Asked by Charles Ward Jackson, prosecuting, the reason for this, she replied: “I thought I had – I was quite upset when I realised I hadn’t.
“I was scared… he would touch me and say stuff.”
Jurors have been told that an initial trial was abandoned when it emerged during the hearing that the two adult complainants had made far more serious allegations – claims of actual rape – rather than just sexual touching.
Mr Shackell now faces 18 counts of rape, sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching involving girls.
The third complainant is still a child and the sexual touching allegedly happened when she was just eight years old.
In opening the case for the prosecution, Mr Ward-Jackson, explained the case involved historic sexual abuse.
Many of the charges were “sample” ones, the court heard, meaning there were probably many more offences committed than had been charged.
Mr Ward-Jackson added that Mr Shackell gained access to one victim and initially would touch her breasts over her clothing.
That progressed to serious, penetrative sexual assaults, the court heard.
Mr Ward-Jackson told jurors: “All of this was a lead up to much more serious offending.
“He was testing the water – one might say grooming.”
Mr Shackell then threatened to rape a member of her family if she did not comply, the court heard.
Mr Ward-Jackson said: “He pushed her on to the bed, forced her legs apart, got on top of her and raped her.
“She was struggling and tried to push him off… she was crying – he claimed she enjoyed it.”
Mr Shackell behaved in a similar manner to another girl, raping her repeatedly, the court heard.
Eventually, the two victims contacted one another and went to the police, although an initial investigation resulted in no further action at the time.
But then Mr Shackell is alleged to have sexually assaulted a five-year-old, who told her father what had happened.
The father reported the matter to police – who then reopened the case, resulting in the charges Mr Shackell now faces.
Mr Ward-Jackson said that, when interviewed by detectives, Mr Shackell denied any sexual contact with any of the girls.
He explained that Mr Shackell told police the girls had concocted a fake narrative together.
One of the complainants, now an adult, told the jury Mr Shackell would ply her mother with alcohol in order to gain access to her.
She said Mr Shackell then threatened to rape a member of her family and she had made him promise not to if she co-operated.
The woman told the court: “I asked him to promise me he wouldn’t do it to them; I made him promise.”
Nevertheless, she added, when Mr Shackell began raping her, she fought back.
The woman told jurors: “I tried to kick him; I said ‘no’ – I asked him to stop.
“I said ‘please don’t do this’; I was crying.”
Afterward, she claimed Mr Shackell told her: “That was good – we’ll do that again.”
Mr Shackell denies all the charges against him.
The trial continues.
