Katie Price contacted social services to tell them she feared her then husband had groomed a schoolgirl, a court was told. 

Kieran Hayler, who was married to Ms Price between 2013 and 2021, is standing trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of three counts of rape and one of sexual assault against a female complainant, now aged 23. 

She alleges that the 39-year-old raped her on three different occasions, taking her virginity, in 2016 when she was 13. 

Hayler has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which relate to incidents at Ms Price’s former West Sussex home. 

It emerged in court today that the TV personality and ex-glamour model, 48, contacted social services in 2018 to tell them she feared Hayler had groomed the girl. 

It came after the alleged victim’s mother told Ms Price about the allegations in 2017, almost a year after her daughter described how Hayler had ‘done everything’ to her. 

Sussex Police were later told by a social worker about the allegations against Hayler on August 9, 2018, with the mother of the girl contacted a short time later.

She, however, told the force that her daughter did not want to talk about the alleged rapes or take the allegations any further.  

Kieran Hayler, 39, is pictured arriving at Lewes Crown Court for his trial on Thursday morning

Hayler and Katie Price were wed between 2013 and 2021 – they are seen here at a Leicester Square movie premiere in London in May 2013

Hayler’s defence lawyer, Arlette Piercy, asked the complainant’s mother if she felt she had betrayed her daughter’s trust by contacting Ms Price. 

‘You said you felt you had to tell Katie Price,’ Ms Piercy said. ‘You went behind your daughter’s back.’

The mother replied: ‘Yes, she probably didn’t want anyone to ever know. It probably did cause arguments – we did have a bit of a fall out.’

Earlier on Thursday, the mother – who cannot be named for legal reasons – told Ms Price her daughter said Hayler had ‘done things to her’, the court heard.  

She told jurors: ‘She was quite angry. I didn’t feel she was upset for [my daughter].

‘I felt she was being angry and revengeful for the situation she was in.

‘She said you could get him into trouble if you were to tell somebody.

‘I said she doesn’t want me to tell anybody. We have to respect her wishes. She doesn’t want anyone to know and we have to look after her.’

The mother said she did not believe Ms Price felt much sympathy for her daughter, adding: ‘She didn’t really care, to be honest. I didn’t really feel she cared about my daughter.’

She described her daughter bursting into tears when she told her something had happened between her and Hayler, saying: ‘She cried more and more.

‘She said, “because he’s done things to me”. ‘I said, “What has he done to you?”

‘She cried more. Then she said, “He’s done everything to me, mummy”. 

‘I was just shocked and I tried to ask her to explain to me, what you mean. 

‘She said, “I can’t tell you any more, I can’t tell you any more”, then she couldn’t speak.

‘She just said: “He did everything to me. What do you think? He did everything to me”.’

The mother said her daughter was too distressed to tell her any details of what happened and she ‘just left her to calm’.

The girl reported the alleged rapes to the NSPCC in 2021 and then phoned her mother to tell her.

The mother told Lewes Crown Court: ‘She phoned me and she said, “I don’t think you’re going to be very happy because I’ve reported it to the police”.

‘I knew straight away what she was talking about. She still hadn’t told me exactly what had happened.

‘She said it was more than one occasion and it was over a long period of time. She said he’d done everything to her. She said she had lost her virginity.

‘She said she thought it was normal. He told her it was normal.

‘He cried afterwards and said if she told anyone, they would both get into trouble.

‘She said it made her feel sick and dirty thinking about it whenever she thought about what had happened.

‘At the time, she thought it was normal but thinking back about it because of her age, she just felt dirty.’

In 2021, the complainant contacted the NSPCC charity which referred her to the police, prompting the investigation.

Hayler was first interviewed by police in January 2022 and denied any of the allegations took place and that anything sexual occurred.

Giving evidence to jurors on Tuesday, the complainant told the court that Hayler texted her after the third alleged rape, saying, ‘I love you goodnight,’ and she replied: ‘I love you too.’

Jurors heard when the trial opened on Monday that Hayler will say Ms Price made up the allegations as part of a campaign against him.

Hayler and Katie Price are pictured together at a London film premiere in November 2015

Hayler believes the allegations were ‘created’ and he was being ‘set up’ after the breakdown of their marriage.

Jurors were told mother-of-five Ms Price, 48, will be called as a witness in the trial.

His Honour Judge Mark Van Der Zwart described Ms Price as a media personality who the jury had likely heard of.

Former stripper and reality TV star Hayler met Ms Price in 2012 and proposed on Christmas Day. They married at a luxury Caribbean resort the following year.

In a previous statement, Sussex Police said: ‘We can confirm Kieran Hayler, of Northchapel, West Sussex, has been charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against a 13-year-old girl.

‘The offences are alleged to have occurred at an address in West Sussex between June 1 and October 13, 2016.

‘The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has received support from specially trained officers as our enquiries continue.’

A representative for Hayler has previously said: ‘Kieran Hayler strongly denies the allegations made against him in their entirety.

‘Mr Hayler is fully engaged and has been co-operating with the police throughout the investigation and will continue to do so.

‘He looks forward to his name being cleared believing in the judicial system to do so.’

The alleged victim is not part of Hayler or Ms Price’s extended families.

Hayler denies rape and sexual assault. The trial at Lewes Crown Court continues.



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