Katie Price told social services that her then-husband Kieran Hayler had allegedly groomed a teenage girl and told her he was falling in love with her, a court has heard.
Hayler, 39, is on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault involving a girl who was 13 at the time of the alleged offences.
The charges relate to alleged incidents between June and October 2016 in West Sussex.
Hayler denies all four charges.
Social services contacted in 2018
Jurors heard that Ms Price contacted social services in August 2018 to raise concerns about Hayler’s alleged behaviour towards the girl.
According to agreed facts read to the court, Ms Price said Hayler had allegedly been “grooming her since she was 13”, had grabbed her bottom and had told her he was falling in love with her.
The complainant’s mother also gave evidence on Thursday.
She told the court that her daughter became distressed when questioned about Hayler in August 2017.
The mother said the girl went pale and started crying before allegedly telling her: “He’s done everything to me mummy.”
Mother says daughter begged her not to tell anyone
The court heard that the girl repeatedly asked her mother not to disclose what she had said.
Her mother told jurors she eventually decided to tell Ms Price because she believed she had a right to know.
She said Ms Price appeared angry when told about the allegations and alleged that she seemed more focused on the breakdown of her marriage than on her daughter.
Ms Price’s reaction and the mother’s interpretation of it were given as evidence to the jury and remain part of the case being considered at trial.
Messages shown to jury
Jurors have previously been shown messages sent by Ms Price to the girl in May 2017, when the complainant was 14.
In one exchange, Ms Price questioned her about whether Hayler had kissed her or attempted anything further.
Another message included the words: “I will make you a little star.”
The complainant, now an adult, told the court she did not know what Ms Price meant by the comment.
The court heard that the girl initially described the situation as “just a flirt thing” and denied that anything had happened.
Police later became involved
The court heard that police visited the family home in 2018 after the social services referral, but the complainant did not wish to speak to officers at that stage.
She later contacted the NSPCC in 2021 before reporting her allegations to police.
The complainant has told the court that the decision to come forward was her own and was not prompted by Ms Price’s earlier involvement.
Hayler denies three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
The trial continues at Lewes Crown Court.
