'I didn't invent liaison with my deputy head', says teen (From Oxford Mail)

'I didn't invent liaison with my deputy head', says teen

10:20am Thursday 20th September 2012 in News By Thom Airs

A TEENAGER who claims to have had a sexual relationship with a deputy headmaster insisted yesterday that he was telling the truth.

The boy admitted he may have got some of the dates wrong in his account but that he and Adam Williams did have intimate physical encounters.

He also denied counter-claims by the defence that he had lied to blackmail Williams.

Williams, a 35-year-old married head of a sixth form, of Ruardean Walk, Cheltenham, denies seven charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust and one count of encouraging or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity while in a position of trust.

Yesterday Williams’ barrister questioned the boy under cross-examination.

Edmund Vickers insisted none of the reported illicit activity had taken place and he accused the teenager of making it all up and threatening Williams with exposure.

However, the witness maintained the sexual acts were not fabricated.

Mr Vickers said: “You held the trump card and you threatened Mr Williams that you would put details of your ‘relationship’ onto Facebook.”

The teenager admitted threatening, during an argument, to post things on Facebook but stressed he had not meant it and had apologised soon afterwards.

The defence counsel then went through the alleged incidents the boy claimed had taken place and, despite conceding that in several cases the text message conversations implied the two had at least kissed, Mr Vickers insisted none of the events had ever happened.

“You wanted him to play out a fantasy physical relationship. “You wanted to pretend with him that you were having a physical relationship,” said Mr Vickers.

“It was fantasy chit chat and nothing physical.”

The boy replied: “No, no.”

In opening the prosecution case on Tuesday, Christopher May told jurors at Oxford Crown Court that the two had met on mobile phone app Grindr.

The boy had lied about his identity and age but had used genuine pictures of himself.

The prosecution claims it was not long before both parties knew who the other was.

The court was told they exchanged thousands of online chat and phone text messages, sometimes more than 100 in a day.

In one, Williams was said to have told the then 16-year-old that if their relationship became known, “the Daily Mail would love it”.

Mr May said there were seven meetings between the two where sexual activity took place.

The barrister told the jury it was a criminal offence for somebody who was in a position of trust to engage in sexual activity with somebody under 18.

The court heard the relationship came to light when the boy’s sister looked through his phone and, according to Mr May, found images of Williams exposing himself.

Williams made no comment during two police interviews.

Mr May said the defendant denied any sexual contact with the boy.

The trial continues.