Katie Price's ex-husband told alleged teenage victim to keep quiet, rape trial hears

Kieran Hayler, the former husband of media personality Katie Price, repeatedly instructed a 13-year-old girl not to disclose what had happened between them because he feared he would "get in trouble", a jury at Lewes Crown Court has been told.

Hayler, 39, is standing trial accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against the teenager in West Sussex in 2016. He denies every charge and has argued that no sexual contact of any kind ever took place.

The court heard evidence on Monday from the complainant's police interview, which was played to jurors as part of the prosecution's case. In that recorded conversation, the woman described how the alleged abuse began and how Hayler sought to keep it hidden.

According to the account given to police, the first alleged rape occurred after Hayler told the 13-year-old that he liked her and initiated a conversation about sex. He is said to have described the act as a "special thing" that they should engage in before going ahead with it.

The complainant told officers that Hayler became emotional during the encounter. She recalled him crying and saying something along the lines of: "Maybe I shouldn't take it away from you, it's so important." She also described him stressing how significant and "important" a first sexual experience was.

Speaking about her state of mind at the time, the woman said there had been no real "conversation" with Hayler after the event. She remembered thinking to herself that she "was probably a bit young" for what had occurred, a remark that prosecutors are likely to rely on as evidence of her youth and vulnerability at the material time.

The court was told that a second alleged rape took place roughly two to three weeks after the first. The complainant said she woke up to find Hayler present, and that afterwards he behaved as though "like nothing had happened" — a pattern of apparent normality that can be characteristic of grooming and coercion in cases of this kind.

A third incident allegedly followed, during which Hayler again raped the girl before sexually assaulting her. It was on this occasion, the jury heard, that he warned her she could not discuss what had happened. According to her police interview, he told her: "You can't talk about it, you can't tell anyone, I might get in trouble for this."

She also alleged that he grabbed her hand and placed it down his trousers. Reflecting on that period, the complainant told police: "I think by that point I knew it wasn't quite right, he kept telling me to 'shh', I had to be secretive and not tell anyone."

The woman said she had attempted to suppress her memories of the events for a long period. "I tried to forget it for so many years," she told officers, a statement that helps explain the delay between the alleged offences and the point at which they came to the attention of authorities.

That moment came in 2021, when the complainant contacted the NSPCC, the UK children's charity, which then referred her to police. The referral triggered a formal investigation by Sussex Police, and Hayler was first interviewed by officers in January 2022.

During that interview, the defendant denied that any of the allegations were true and insisted that nothing sexual had ever occurred. He has maintained that position throughout the proceedings and is now contesting the charges at trial.

The court heard that Hayler was married to Katie Price, the television personality and former glamour model, at the time of the alleged incidents. Their relationship subsequently broke down in 2018, and the couple divorced in 2021.

Hayler has suggested that his ex-wife "launched a campaign" against him once their marriage ended, and he argues that the allegations form part of that wider dispute. The prosecution case does not allege that the complainant is a member of either Hayler's or Price's extended families.

Price herself is expected to give evidence during the trial, which is anticipated to last around a week. Her appearance as a witness is likely to draw significant media attention, given the high profile of both parties.

The trial continues before the jury at Lewes Crown Court, where the prosecution is seeking to establish that Hayler committed the offences against a child who was 13 years old at the time. Hayler, who appeared in court wearing a dark suit and pink shirt and carrying a rucksack, denies all four counts.

Legal commentators note that cases involving historical allegations of child sexual abuse frequently hinge on the credibility of the complainant's account, particularly where reporting has been delayed by years. Courts are accustomed to hearing explanations for such delays, including shame, fear and the effects of grooming, and juries are directed to assess all evidence in the round rather than expecting immediate disclosure.

The burden of proof remains entirely on the prosecution, which must satisfy the jury beyond reasonable doubt on each count. Hayler is presumed innocent unless and until the jury returns guilty verdicts, and the defence is expected to challenge the reliability of the complainant's recollections as the trial progresses.

For now, the case rests on the testimony played to the court and the evidence yet to be heard, including from Price and potentially other witnesses. The jury will ultimately decide whether the prosecution has made its case.