Layer Village Store's ex employee 'lied to the police'

Christopher White, 37, has admitted he would give two girls confectionary, cigarettes and alcohol after they performed a sex act on him on the shop floor of Layer Village Store in Layer de la Haye.

But White refutes claims he raped the girls, while also denying he rubbed his genitals on the leg of a schoolgirl in the shop’s freezer room.

He is facing a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court accused of the offences which the complainants say took place between 2007 and 2009 when White was in his early twenties.

Investigation - the trial is exploring alleged offences in Layer de la Haye (Image: Google)

The defendant’s interview with the police in 2019 was read to the jury, where he claimed the complainants were known “troublemakers”.

Emma Nash, prosecuting, said: “You wanted the police to think they were making trouble for you so they thought what they said was untrue.

Read more from the trial:

• Shop worker admits letting children perform sex acts on him in exchange for freebies
• Former village shop worker gave children cigarettes for 'sexual favours', court hears

“You told the police you were ‘shocked and saddened’ in that interview.

“It’s all a lie, one big act because you weren’t shocked at what they said because you knew, albeit of a different nature, that you had had a sexual relationship with these girls.

Trial - Christopher White is facing a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court (Image: Google Maps)

“You wanted to convince everybody that it wasn’t true, that these girls were the problem and you were the victim in this.

“You wanted to set yourself up as a respectable man trying to do his job.

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“You knew what you had done was illegal and you chose to cast aspersions on these girls in order that you would get away with it.”

White, being cross-examined in the witness box, answered “yes” when asked if the above points were true.

Village - Layer de la Haye on the outskirts of Colchester (Image: Google)

He said “yes” again when asked by Ms Nash: “Is it right that you thought: ‘What I’m going to do is go into that police interview and lie about it’?"

White, of Mill Lane, Birch, denies three offences of sexual activity with a child, two offences of sexual assault of a child and two offences of rape of a child.

• The trial continues.

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