A 14-year-old youngster who claimed a 40-year-old nurse touched him at a VE Day street party has been exonerated of sexual assault.
Following less than two hours of deliberation at Guildford Crown Court, the jury of six men and six women found Katie Barrett not guilty of one count of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a child under the age of 14, after the defense attorney informed them that there was no concrete proof of the sexual assault.
The kid said Barrett, a 40-year-old registered nurse, gave him shots and Strongbow cider during the street festival, leading to his accusation that she had sexually assaulted him on May 8, 2020.
Police were informed by the child, who shall remain nameless for legal reasons, that Barrett, 40, lured him to her bedroom and asked, “So do you want to f*** me?” just moments after she allegedly assured his father, “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to seduce your son,”
The allegations that Katie Barrett had asked the youngster for sex were completely out of character for the person they knew, according to friends who testified before the jury and who claimed they would trust her with their children.
The nurse chose not to comment on the case or her acquittal as she exited the courthouse.
In video interviews yesterday, the youngster, who was 14 at the time, was heard saying, “She brought me a Strongbow and maybe 10 minutes later, she got me another drink,” in front of the Guildford Crown Court jury.
“My sister requested for one, but instead of obtaining one for her like Mom did for me, she urged her to purchase one. She invited me to “come with me” as we were conversing outside.
The 14-year-old boy claimed, “She then apologized and said she shouldn’t have said it.”
“[Katie] was being a sweetheart and asked me how I was doing with the Covid quarantine and what I wanted to do after school.” I had told her that week that I was becoming 15 years old. She also inquired as to whether I had a girlfriend and said it was a good thing I didn’t.
I continued to consume alcohol until Katie summoned me inside and closed the door behind me.
I was on my phone when she asked me whether I wanted to do it, and I responded, “What?”
She stated “I replied, “No, I don’t want you. My parents are outside, and you’re intoxicated, yet you say it’s okay “she kissed me as well. I froze. I agreed to go upstairs when she said we should. I was a little inebriated and unsure of what to do.
“Come on sweetie, I want you to f*** me,” she said as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.
“No, I can’t, there are people knocking at the front door calling my name,” I replied. We wouldn’t be discovered, she assured us, therefore it was all right.
Then, he claimed, she groped him, and he added: “People were at the door, so I said let’s go.” I left and resumed playing football after she gave the all-clear.
To try to hide my actions, I grabbed a drink from the refrigerator and headed out.
The following day, I felt bad and was afraid to inform my mother because I felt ashamed.
The other day it dawned on me that she may have been thinking about it the entire evening. It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized.
Barrett’s boyfriend provided this quote as a character reference: “When Katie told me what she was accused of, I recognized this was clearly out of character.” She was a model student when I first got to know her when we were in school.
She is diligent and as trustworthy as the day is long. She is a kind, devoted mother who sets the bar high. I have no evidence that Katie, with whom I am now in a committed relationship, is capable of these claims.
Today, defense attorney Jon Anders summarized the case before the jury, telling them to “ask why the prosecution is having to rely on argument more than evidence.”
‘My job is to comment on the evidence; it is not my responsibility to convince anyone. You swore an oath to try the case based on the evidence when you first started. There are a lot of questions in this situation.
Is it just a coincidence that no one else notices anything at all while dealing with the limited time, space, and location in this case?
The defense attorney also addressed a boy’s friend’s testimony, which was given months after the street party and in which he claimed the victim had told him about oral sex on Snapchat, even though this claim was incongruous with the complainant’s other stories.
It is possible that he mistook Ms. Barrett’s intentions and boasted to his friends while intoxicated, Mr. Anders said, but once it’s out, it’s sort of out. Who knows how alcohol will affect a young adolescent?
The defense claims that he shouldn’t have told this story to a girl he didn’t know well unless he had a secret agenda to impress, befriend, or simply have a conversation with her. Given that it is teen stupidity, I venture to claim that this is malicious.
Judge Robert Fraser summarized the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense before instructing the jury to “leave behind any assumptions or stereotypes.”
“You must determine if the claimed victim’s account was accurate. The honesty and dependability of the alleged victim’s proof are the main issues.
The incident was reported by the teen to his pals, who then alerted his parents, who made a police report.
Details of a conversation between the youngster and his friend over Snapchat were included in a statement from the boy’s friend that was read out in court. “She [Barrett] led him upstairs and tried to kiss him,” it said. She attempted to touch his d***, but he repeatedly refused.
He claimed he couldn’t reveal anything since it would be humiliating. He was unable to speak for nearly 20 minutes.
He declared, “It’s extremely frightening and just so embarrassing.” He then texted me to say that the police were getting involved and that he regretted having told anyone. He was clearly in a panic.
According to a statement made to the police by another acquaintance of the victim, “She was inebriated and reportedly the woman asked him if he wanted to f*** her.”
He may have said that she came to him or that he went to her, at which point she began having oral intercourse with him and stopped after a short while.
On the phone, he sounded rather out of breath. He spoke at a rapid pace. He initially indicated that he initially believed he had made a mistake.
The child claims that on May 8, 2020, the defendant led him upstairs to her bedroom and asked him to have intercourse with her before touching his penis, according to prosecutor Leo Seelig.
“A VE Day street party took place on that day. The victim, his sister, and father were present.
The victim told police that the defendant was nice with him and his sister and that she asked him about his GCSE results and his post-secondary plans.
He informed her that he would shortly turn 15 years old. They sat in her garden after she gave him some Strongbow cider and invited him to her home to acquire additional drinks. She was inebriated when the victim’s father showed up in the backyard.
Don’t worry, she assured him, “I’m not trying to seduce your son,” but the father paid her no mind and told her he didn’t believe she was.
The accused asked the victim if she would enjoy being f***ed.
They then circled around to the front of the house after she apologized and stated she shouldn’t have said that.
After giving the victim shots of Limoncello, the defendant returned them to the house. She stated that she “wanted him” and asked the victim if he was willing “to do it.” No, you’re intoxicated, and my parents are outside, the victim retorted.
He consented to her kiss because he was also inebriated. Come here, sweetie, and f*** me, she said as she led him upstairs.
“A neighbor came home and yelled up the stairs for the defendant, who stated she was in the bathroom,” the neighbor added.
In her evidence to the jury, Barrett refuted all the claims and stated she would never do such things as she had a young boy herself.
She said: ‘I did not ask him whether he wanted to f*** me. I didn’t take him upstairs, I didn’t get close to his penis, and I didn’t say anything of the such.
There was nothing malicious about it; I was just being friendly and sharing. We were having acceptable discourse about things like school life, how he was doing quarantine, what he wanted to do after school, and other relevant topics.
I mean, I’m generally a friendly person. There was no physical contact or anything of the sort, so perhaps my friendliness was taken the wrong way.
She insisted that there was nothing to hide and that both her bedroom door and the door to her house were left open the entire time the boy was inside with her.
Barrett said, “Because of what I was advised,” when prosecution attorney Leo Seelig questioned her about why she had remained silent during her initial police interview. I was obviously astonished and a little worried because it was a very rare situation for me.