Colne youth leader 'got girl, 15, pregnant' (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Colne youth leader 'got girl, 15, pregnant'

2:00pm Friday 28th September 2012 in News

A SCHOOLGIRL had an abortion after a married youth leader she was ‘infatuated’ with allegedly got her pregnant, a jury heard.

Her mother told a court of her ‘complete shock’ and ‘disbelief’ when her daughter, aged 15 at the time, told her, although at first she hadn't wanted to, that it was John Duffy who had made her pregnant.

Burnley Crown Court has heard claims Duffy, then a youth leader and married with young children, had sex sessions with the girl and on one occasion, spent all night with her when his then-wife was in hospital.

The mother, who lives in the Pendle area, described the pregnancy as a ‘dirty secret’ and told the court how the girl's father knew nothing about the termination at the time.

She said: “He would have killed John Duffy.”

The mother broke down and cried in the witness box as she told how her once-happy daughter was ‘distraught’ after the abortion and how she lived ‘a lonely life’ locked in her bedroom, drinking and lost interest in everything.

She claimed: “There was no spark there or anything.”

Duffy, now 50, of Skipton Road, Colne, denies 13 charges of indecent assault, one allegation of gross indecency with a child and eight counts of rape.

The prosecution has alleged Duffy had told the girl they would get married and had shown her holiday brochures of where he said they would go. She allowed the defendant to have sex with her to try and win his love and took part in indecent acts because Duffy was said to have told her that's what people who loved each other did.

The trial has been told how Duffy was questioned over the allegations after the complainant went to the police, around last July. He told officers he knew her, but claimed there had never been any sexual or romantic relationship and her claims were not true.

Questioned by prosecutor Alison Mather, the mother said she was shocked when her daughter told her Duffy had got her pregnant. She continued :"He was a leader,wasn't he? He was always with children. He was just so charming and nice."

Jeremy Lasker, defending Duffy, asked the mother: “Why didn't you go to Mr Duffy?”

She answered: “I have gone over this and thought ‘why didn't I go down?’ But what was the point ? He had a wife. He had three little children. I just wanted everything sorted and back to normal. That's how I saw it at the time. It was just panic stations.”

(Proceeding)