Child sex abuse trial: Accused "poisoned victim’s pet cats"

From the Rotherham Advertiser and the Star

ALLEGED multiple sex offender cruelly poisoned a victim’s pet cats, a court heard. 
The woman says Basharat Hussain (38), who is accused of 15 child sex abuse offences, did not tell her why he had poisoned the animals.

“I just found them in the garden think it was when I was about 18,” she recalled in a police interview shown to Sheffield Crown Court.  “I loved them two cats they were brother and sister I found them in the garden curled up dead and he laughed. He said: ‘I’ve poisoned them’…”

On one occasion, Girl E said Basharat held a gun to her head when she refused to obey his orders.Speaking about Basharat and his brother Arshid, who is also on trial, she said: “I knew what they were capable of and what they might do if I didn’t do what they said. I knew what would happen. I knew if they wanted something they could get it. People bowed down to them.”

The woman said on one occasion, Basharat handed her a gun and told her to ‘keep it safe.’ 

She said: “He handed me this gun from the glove box and said ‘keep this safe.’ I knew it wasn’t a question. I said I didn’t want to but he got aggressive and said, ‘What have I told you about saying no to me?’”

The court heard how the next day, Basharat alledegly arranged for a derelict house to be burnt down across the road from her parents’ house. The woman said it was to show her ‘she couldn’t say no to him.’

Gillian Batts, representing Basharat, said during cross-examination that Girl E, who cannot be named, was lying.

Ms Batts suggested that some of the claims she had made about being forced into oral sex, being bound and having petrol poured over her, were identical to references made in the independent enquiry (Jay report) she had heard about in the news.

Ms Batts said: “You have taken your inspiration for your allegations from the contents of this enquiry.”
She replied: “They are not inspirations, it was my life.”

Ms Batts added: “Every allegation you have made is set out on page one of that report.”
The witness answered: “I have not read a report, that was my life, not a story, no coincidence.”

Mr Tair Khan, for co-defendant Arshid Hussain, said the woman’s claims that Arshid forced her to perform oral sex on men were fabricated. The woman said there was no doubt in her mind it had been Arshid who had blindfolded, tied her up and forced her to carry out the sex acts. 
She said he was present for around three of the times it had happened.

A statement from the complainant’s mother was read to the jury. In it she said she did not see Basharat and her daughter’s relationship as normal and he seemed to control her.

The jury has now been released from the trial for the Christmas break and will return on January 4.

Arshid and Basharat Hussain deny all the charges against them.