Trial gets underway of Dorset man accused of raping a 14 year old girl
Nicholas Foreman (43) of Christchurch is on trial at Winchester Crown Court.
Last updated 29th Jul 2025
A 14-year-old girl has told a court that she was "scared" as a man raped her in a city centre park after telling her "how beautiful" she was.
Nicholas Foreman, 43, of Christchurch, Dorset, is on trial at Wincester Crown Court charged with three counts of rape, one of sexual assault and four alternative charges of sexual activity with a child.
The court has heard that the complainant says she met the defendant outside the Standing Order Wetherspoon's pub in Southampton city centre on the evening of February 15.
They then went to Houndwell Park, where the alleged offences took place at about 10.30pm.
In a video-recorded interview shown to the jury, the complainant said that she had met friends earlier that evening in Southampton city centre, where she drank alcohol including wine, a can of cider and some gin and vodka.
She said that she then met the man outside the pub and they began talking before they walked towards the park.
The girl said: "He is just saying how beautiful I am for a 14-year-old girl."
The complainant said that when they reached the park, they began kissing for one to two minutes before he sexually assaulted her.
She said: "I did try to stop and he just put his hands down my pants."
She added: "I told him to stop about two times."
The girl said that she then told the defendant that she needed to go to the toilet because she "wanted to go".
She added: "I was a bit scared, I just wanted to get away from him."
The complainant said that she had told the defendant how old she was.
Foreman denies the offences and the court has heard that he admitted having sexual intercourse with the complainant, but says that he believed she was 18 and that she had consented to the sexual acts.
The trial continues.