High court judge wife, 77, caught in bed with a boy's head(6-7yrs) between her leg

 Lady Lavinia Nourse, 77, was 'caught in a compromising position in bed with a child' by her friend - as court hears her late Court of Appeal judge husband 'knew his wife was sexually abusing boy in the 1980s but looked the other way'

By James Robinson and Faith Ridler For Mailonline

Lady Lavinia Nourse, from Suffolk, is charged with historical sexual abuse of boy

She was married to Sir Martin Nourse, High Court judge who died aged 85, 2017

Man told Peterborough court he 'realised shame I carried wasn't mine to bear'

The 77-year-old denies 17 counts of sexually abusing a boy under the age of 12

Lady Lavinia's PR company organised the premieres of Andrew Lloyd Webber productions and organised the Queen's 60th birthday celebrations

A friend of Lady Lavinia Nourse caught her in a 'compromising position' with a young boy in the 1980s, a jury heard today.

Lady Lavinia, the widow of a Court of Appeal judge, was caught lounging in bed with the boy's head between her legs, the friend told jurors today.

The friend told the court she believed the boy, who was 'not fully clothed', to be 'six or seven years old'.

Lady Lavinia, from Newmarket, Suffolk, is on trial at Peterborough's Nightingale court charged with historical sexual abuse in the 1980s.

The charges, which all relate to one alleged victim, are five counts of indecently assaulting a boy and 12 counts of indecency with a child. 

The 77-year-old, who was married to the later Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Nourse, denies 17 counts of sexually abusing a boy under the age of 12.

A court had earlier heard how Sir Martin, who died in 2017, 'may have known' his wife was sexually abusing a young boy, but 'looked the other way'.

Lady Lavinia Nourse (pictured outside court yesterday) is on trial at Peterborough's Nightingale court charged with historical sexual abuse


Today a friend of Lady Nourse told the court about a weekend that she had visited the defendant in the 1980s – and claimed she found her friend in a compromising position on her bed with the young complainant.


The woman described her discovery as like a 'flash of lightning' – but said she never spoke to her friend about it afterwards.


She said she was friends with Lady Nourse for 'many decades', after they were introduced by a mutual friend in the 1970s.


She said: 'We were friends for many decades. We both had very difficult childhoods, and I swore I would stand by her as much as possible.


'I had been at the house for the weekend, and almost every Saturday and Sunday, Lavinia used to go to her bedroom after lunch for a rest.

'On this particular day, I was just about to leave to go back to London, so I thought I would just go to her bedroom and say goodbye. I did something I had never done before – I went to her bedroom and opened the door.



Lady Lavinia, from Newmarket, Suffolk, was married to Sir Martin Nourse (pictured), who died in 2017 aged 85

'I didn't knock before I opened it, I don't know why. I believe these things happen in a particular way, and I suppose it must have been some instinct of mine.


'What I saw, I can only equate to a flash of lightning – for an instant everything is very clear and very sharp. I saw Lavinia on the bed, her head sideways as though she was resting against the pillow.

'She had a dress or some kind of robe on, but her legs were bare – and they were around a young boy, of about six or seven years old.

'The boy was between her legs, lying on his side in a motionless position - with his head right up against her genitals. He was not fully clothed, but he did have some sort of garment on, I believe it was a dressing gown or something like that.


'I could not see whether Lavinia had any underwear on – I had the impression that she didn't, but I can't confirm. Nothing was happening that I could see, there was no activity between the two of them.


'I backed out immediately and shut the door. I was in a panic, I was just so shaken. It seemed so inappropriate to me, so bizarre, for a woman to be in that position with a child.


ADVERTISEMENT


'I can't imagine that position for a woman with a child. I find it, quite frankly, extraordinary.


'I had never seen anything like it before. I certainly wouldn't have been in a position like that myself, nor anybody else I know. The whole layout of the situation just seemed to me very strange.'


The woman said she never mentioned it to Lady Nourse afterwards – but there was then a period of about two years where she did not see or speak to Lady Nourse or her husband.


She added she spoke to a psychiatrist about what she allegedly saw.


Earlier jurors in the trial had heard from one of Lady Lavinia's alleged victims who claimed Sir Martin, who died in 2017, was aware of the abuse.


Jurors were today played a recording of a conversation which the alleged victim had around three years ago with a woman who knew him as a child. 


The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed that Lady Lavinia's husband had 'looked the other way' when the alleged abuse took place.  


Referring to the widow, he added: 'You know she screwed me up'.  



Lady Lavinia Nourse, pictured circa Spring 1997. Lady Lavinia and Sir Martin Nourse married in 1972

Giving evidence today, the man said he 'carried the shame throughout my childhood' and had therapy following nine years of alleged abuse in the 1980s.


'I realised the shame I carried for this wasn't mine to bear,' he said. 'It belonged to that woman sitting over there [the defendant], who abused me throughout my childhood. It's her shame.' 


The man added that when he confronted Lady Lavinia years later, in 2018, she tried to lay the blame on him for instigating it.


He said: 'The last thing I ever wanted to do was to go to the police in respect of these allegations. I wanted her to take responsibility for her actions, I wanted her to beg for my forgiveness.


'She did none of those things – the first thing she said was it was my fault for getting into her bed with an erection. She has subsequently adopted the position that she doesn't remember anything. So I went to the police.


Drop a Comment

Please Do not post any Spam link on the comment Box

Previous Post Next Post