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British TV star William Roache accused of raping minors
The 81-year-old English actor, who went on trial accused of five indecent assaults and two rapes in the 1960s, is said to have got away with sexually assaulting young girls for decades because of his fame.
Coronation Street legend William Roache reportedly raped a 15-year-old girl twice and sexually attacked another aged 14 before sending her a signed photo.
Roache, 81, who has played Ken Barlow in Coronation Street since the first episode in 1960, used his fame to carry out the assaults and silence his victims, the prosecution alleged, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The alleged victims of the star, aged between 11 or 12 and 16 at the time, include two sisters, one of whom says she was twice raped by Roache in 1967. However, Roache has denied these charges.
Prosecutor Anne Whyte described Roache's methods to Preston Crown Court as "designed to impress a young schoolgirl and to secure her unquestioning loyalty as a fan for a sexual purpose, a sort of grooming".
Whyte opened the case against him at Preston Crown Court in northwest England.
However, Roache has denied all the charges.
