A former Piccadilly Radio DJ raped a 15-year-old girl with Jimmy Savile, a court has heard.
Ray Teret, 72, went on trial today at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court along with two other men – Willliam Harper and Alan Ledger – accused of sex offences against girls dating back as far as 1962.
Today, jurors were told at the beginning of the prosecution opening statement that shamed late paedophile Savile’s name will crop up throughout the trial.
The court heard that Teret, who is charged with 18 rapes along with other offences, raped a girl, 15, between 1963 and 1964 together with Savile.
Tim Evans, prosecuting, told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court: “During some of the evidence you will hear the name Jimmy Savile mentioned and count four requires you to directly consider evidence relating to a sexual offence the Crown says was perpetrated both by Jimmy Savile and Ray Teret acting together.”
Mr Evans told the court that Teret, who has worked at the pirate station Radio Caroline and Piccadilly Radio, had a ‘deal of celebrity’ in the 60s and 70s, especially in Manchester.
The prosecutor said: “The Crown’s case in a nutshell is that he used the celebrity that he had to abuse young girls in various ways and that the other two defendants – Mr Ledger and Mr Harper – friends and associates of Teret – also became involved on occasions.”
Mr Evans told the jurors they could not have failed to have seen the publicity about Savile’s history of sexual abuse, but reiterated that they were not tasked with determining the scale of his crimes.
The prosecutor said that Teret, Savile’s former chauffeur and flatmate, and the oher defendants should not be contaminated ‘because of the spectre of Savile’.
“This is not guilt by association and that sort of notion plays no part in this trial,” Mr Evans added.
He also said ‘so-called celebrity trials’ had no bearing on this case.
The trial continues.
Image courtesy of BBC, Inset courtesy of Press Association. Both via YouTube with thanks
