A martial arts teacher from Sidcup is on trial accused of raping a child in front of her own mother during a prolonged campaign of sexual abuse.
Tony Swanson is charged with 21 child sex offences, including six counts of rape, related to the alleged abuse of a girl when she was between 13 and 15 in the early 2000s.
The child’s mother has pleaded guilty to three charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and will be a witness for the prosecution.
Swanson, 75, is the founder of the Taoist Arts Organisation (TAO) based in Wren Road, Sidcup, and taught across south-east London including in Bexley.
James Brown KC, opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court, said: “As you will hear, a very unusual aspect of this case is that the mother of [the alleged victim] was involved in the sexual abuse.
“It came to be that the mother began having sex with the defendant. He also, the prosecution say, began to groom her daughter, telling her he was well placed to teach her about sex.
“He then went on to sexually abuse and repeatedly rape her.”
Mr Brown detailed numerous incidents where Swanson allegedly sexually abused or raped the girl in private, as well as three occasions when the mother was present as the abuse took place.
“The mother was variously either having sex with the defendant when her daughter watched, or she watched as the defendant raped her daughter,” Mr Brown said.
The abuse stopped when the girl told her mother she couldn’t do it anymore, at which point the mother spoke to the defendant, the jury heard.
“The defendant responded by confronting [the alleged victim], telling her she had made the wrong decision, that she was stupid and that she would never be happy,” Mr Brown said.
The alleged victim had confided in friends and family over the years, but it wasn’t until 2022 that she gave her account to the police, the court heard.
Asked why she decided to report the abuse, she said: “I just need to be able to move on with my life, and I think about this every day. I just have playback, like replaying horrific memories.
“And I just can’t stand the thought that he isn’t being held accountable for what he’s done.
“I can’t stand the thought that this could potentially be happening elsewhere.
“It’s taken me years to build myself up to the point where I can do this, because putting words around what happened is just such a struggle for me, and I feel like I’m strong enough now to do it.”
Both Swanson and her mother were arrested.
Swanson denied that anything sexual happened with either the mother or the daughter.
He is charged with six counts of rape, four counts of indecent assault, seven counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
He denies all charges. The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues.
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