It's our little secret... no one needs to know otherwise you'll be taken, you'll die and evil will come over you: Coronation Street star's 'threats as he raped girl, six, in her own bed'

Actor plays Kevin Webster and faces 12 charges at Manchester Crown Court

Le Vell hasn't appeared in the soap for months and pleaded not guilty



Prosecution says actor was 'heavy drinker' who carried out years of abuse

'No-one needs to know otherwise you'll die,' he allegedly told girl

Le Vell told police the child was a 'fantasist' telling a 'pack of lies' about him

Alleged victim cried as she gave evidence against him from behind a curtain

'He told me he was getting rid of all the evil and bad inside me', she said

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell raped a young girl in her bed after covering her mouth with her favourite teddy bear, a court heard yesterday.

A jury was told that he even threatened the youngster with death if she mentioned the attacks, which he allegedly carried out over a nine-year period starting when she was aged just six, and which he told her was ‘our little secret’.

‘No one needs to know otherwise you’ll be taken, you’ll die and the evil will come over you,’ he is accused of saying.

The alleged victim told the court that Le Vell had a drink problem and the attacks would happen in the early hours

Ordeal: Le Vell shook his head as the girl behind the curtain sobbed giving evidence to the court yesterday Le Vell, 48, who has played garage mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV1 soap for 30 years, is facing a total of 12 sex charges. He is accused of five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He denies all the charges. The girl sobbed yesterday as she told a jury at Manchester Crown Court that she had been repeatedly abused by the soap star from the age of six.

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Next Pilot abused his position at British Airways to molest... Coronation Street star Bill Roache pleads NOT GUILTY to... Share this article Share On one occasion the actor allegedly lay on top her and said: ‘It’s ok, you’re safe. Just keep calm, stay asleep ... I’m going to get rid of the evil.’ The 48-year-old is then accused of pulling down her pyjamas, covering her mouth with the teddy bear and raping her in her bed. The girl told the court that as she was raped Le Vell would talk to her. ‘He said I was safe and he was just getting rid of all the evil and all the bad that was inside me,’ she said. ‘To stop me speaking he put one of my favourite teddy bears over my mouth so I could still breathe but not say anything.’ The girl, who cannot be named, wept as she gave evidence from behind a screen and said Le Vell simply walked away after the attack.



End of the day: Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, walks out of court through a crowd of photographers chewing on his lip

Exit: Le Vell is rushed from Manchester Crown Court after the first day of his trial for a series of alleged child sex offences

Defendant: The actor, pictured being driven home, faces 12 charges of sex offences against children, including five counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity ‘He just got off me and kissed my left cheek and left,’ she said. ‘I was so in shock it was like I was not even in my body. I was just motionless.’

The attacks allegedly began when she was in primary school and continued throughout her childhood until she finally told someone.

The girl, who is now a teenager, would speak only to her teddy bears about the abuse. She said it disgusted her and left her feeling ‘upset and dirty’.

Le Vell, who was charged under his real name of Michael Turner, shook his head as the charges were put to him.

The jury was told that the actor, who lives in Hale, Cheshire, was a long-term heavy drinker who had previously sought help for his problem.

He went to a pub almost every night and would often drink seven or eight pints of beer in one sitting. He once turned to Alcoholics Anonymous but it had not helped and the heavy drinking continued.

The court heard that at the time the alleged abuse occurred Le Vell was having serious marital difficulties with his wife, Janette, and they were both under considerable strain.



Denial: Le Vell in the dock where he pleaded not guilty to raping a young girl and 11 other charges

Accusations: The prosecution say Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, used threats to keep the silent, but he says the alleged victim is a 'fantasist' and an 'attention seeker'



Case: The prosecution, sketched with Le Vell watching on, told the court he was a 'heavy drinker' who abused the girl for eight years The abuse was said to have taken place at various addresses and ended a few years ago. The girl told the court that she was molested for months before the abuse escalated. She said Le Vell had threatened her not to tell anyone. ‘I was very scared because it did not feel right. I did not know what to believe or think,’ she said. ‘I would cry and cuddle my teddies and tell them it doesn’t feel right but it must be.’ She said on each occasion she felt removed from the actual abuse as if she was outside her body watching down on herself and that Le Vell would ‘stink’ of alcohol and cigarettes. ‘He smelt really, really bad with what I know now to be alcohol,’ she added. The girl said she became a ‘different child’ as a result of the alleged abuse, and felt ‘very confused’. Prosecutor Eleanor Laws said the girl suffered years of nightmares and had wet the bed until she was 12 because of the alleged abuse.

Hearing: The jury was told that after one alleged attack he 'seemed happy', 'as if it was giving him pleasure'

Attention: The actor listens to his alleged victim giving evidence from behind a screen to protect her identity

Throughout the girl’s tearful testimony, which lasted for an hour and 45 minutes, Le Vell sipped at water from a plastic cup and shook his head repeatedly.

Miss Laws said Le Vell had first been arrested in September 2011 but the case was dropped after an initial investigation. However it was reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service and the actor was re-arrested and charged in February this year.

Miss Laws said: ‘He answered all questions put to him. He said that she was a fantasist and an attention-seeker and this was just another of her fantasies.’

Originally from Manchester, Le Vell is one of the longest-serving actors on Coronation Street, but has been suspended from the ITV show until the conclusion of the case.

The jury was warned by the judge to try the real Michael Le Vell – and not the character he plays on screen.

Before the trial even began, Judge Michael Henshall asked if any of the potential jurors felt they would not be able to try the actor due to their interest in the soap opera.

Interest: The Coronation Street actor is one of the most recognisable faces on television after more than 30 years in the soap

Surrounded: Le Vell speaks to a police officer guarding the court as the media swamped him yesterday as his trial started

‘The man on trial is Michael Turner, not the character he plays,’ he said. Judge Henshall allowed the empanelled jurors a 15-minute break to decide whether their feelings about the ITV show would cloud their ability to judge the evidence fairly. Two jurors – both women – decided they would not be able to try him without some sort of bias and were allowed to step down. Two others were chosen in their place. Eleanor Laws QC, prosecuting, then began the opening address, telling the jury: ‘There is no room in your deliberations for any form of emotion or sympathy or prejudice. You must judge the facts of this case using your own common sense.’ The jury of eight women and four men will sit through up to two weeks of evidence before being asked to return a verdict. The case continues.

Career: Le Vell's character Kevin Webster is one of the longest running and popular in British soap history