Katie Price ex, Kieran Hayler, told girl not to tell, court hears

Katie Price’s ex-husband, who is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, told her to “not tell anyone” and said he might “get in trouble for this”, a court has heard.

Kieran Hayler, 39, is on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of the teenager in West Sussex in 2016, all of which he denies.

Earlier, jurors were told that on the first alleged occasion, Hayler told the 13-year-old he really liked her and began speaking to her about having sex.

He told her it was a “special thing” and they should do it, before he raped her, the court heard.

The court was played the complainant’s police interview in which she said Hayler told her how special and “important” the first time was.

She said: “He started crying and saying, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t take it away from you, it’s so important’.”

The complainant said she did not have a “conversation” with Hayler afterwards, and recalled thinking “I was probably a bit young”.

Hayler allegedly raped the girl again on two further occasions.

The second occasion, she said, was two or three weeks later.

On this occasion she said she remembered waking up to Hayler being there, and after, he acted like “like nothing had happened”.

On the third alleged occasion, the court heard Hayler told her she should not tell anyone, and then sexually assaulted her.

She said he told her: “You can’t talk about it, you can’t tell anyone, I might get in trouble for this.”

It is alleged he grabbed her hand and put it down his trousers.

Speaking after this alleged incident, the complainant told police: “I think by that point I knew it wasn’t quite right, he kept telling me to ‘shh’, I had to be secretive and not tell anyone.”

She told police: “I tried to forget it for so many years.”

In 2021, the complainant contacted the NSPCC charity which referred her to the police, prompting the investigation.

Hayler was first interviewed by police in January 2022 and denied any of the allegations took place and that anything sexual occurred.

He was married to media personality Price at the time of the alleged incidents, before the couple’s relationship broke down in 2018 and they divorced in 2021.

Hayler suggested his ex-wife had “launched a campaign” against him when their marriage ended, and the allegations form part of this, the court heard.

The alleged victim is not part of Hayler or Price’s extended families.

Price is expected to be a witness in the trial which is expected to last about a week.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, external, on X, external, and on Instagram, external and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds. Send your story ideas to [email protected], external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.