A prominent figure who works in the Premier League arranged to have ‘sex for cash’ with a teenage girl, a court has heard.
The defendant, whose identity is protected by an anonymity order, is also accused of raping the girl in the 1990s, when she was 15.
He is alleged to have invited the girl to his house to discuss a potential career opportunity, showed her around, instructed her to sit on his knee, asked if she was a virgin, told her she was a ‘good girl’, subjected her to a ‘disgusting and traumatising ordeal’, and handed her £150.
The defendant denies rape or having inappropriate relations with an underage girl, describing the allegations as ‘dishonest and malicious’.
The girl is now suing him for sexual assault and intentional infliction of injury. The defendant has admitted to asking the girl, when she was 16 or 17, whether she ‘wanted to earn cash for sex’.
Both parties admit that it became a regular occurrence over the proceeding years. He argues that she contacted him on multiple occasions to offer sexual favours for cash. However she claims that she was under the impression that compliance would bring her future career opportunities.
The woman says that she was too scared to report the man at the time, and has been left with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The defendant argues that they maintained a friendship for more than 20 years after the alleged rape.
The name, age and other details belonging to the defendant are being withheld by the court to protect his reputation and financial interests. He is referred to as JZX in court documents and is still waiting for a High Court trial date.
Part of his defence, as relayed by The Athletic, reads: “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.
“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.”
