Teenage girl, 16, who was raped by Chris Eubanks youngest son Joseph lied about sex attack to avoid getting into trouble for losing her phone when she was drunk, court hears
A teenage girl told a court today that she did not lie about being raped by Joseph Eubank to avoid getting into trouble for losing her new iPhone when she was drunk.
A teenage girl told a court today that she did not lie about being raped by Joseph Eubank to avoid getting into trouble for losing her new iPhone when she was drunk.
The youngest son of boxing legend Chris Eubank has been accused of grabbing the girl by the wrist down to the bottom of the beach near Brighton Pier then raping her.
The 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was out celebrating a friends birthday the night the alleged attack took place on July 16, 2022. Eubank, 27, of Hove, is on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of two counts of rape of the girl.
Today, the girl insisted she did not exaggerate the incident to cover up the missing phone - after the court heard she was worried about losing her new iPhone.
She told police she was so drunk she could barely stand and was aggressively grabbed by Eubank before being taken onto the pebble beach.
Joseph Eubank arrives at Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex yesterday for his rape trial
But Kate Blackwell KC, defending Eubank, told the girl that the truth was she was Up for it.
Ms Blackwell said: You knew you had been up for what happened on the beach with Mr Eubank.
The girl replied: No.
But Ms Blackwell continued: I have to suggest to you that you were not as drunk as you told the jury and you knew exactly what you were doing.
The girl said: I was very drunk, I was only 16, I was extremely drunk.
Ms Blackwell then stated: You have exaggerated what happened to you in order to get yourself out of trouble with your parents.
But the girl replied: No.
Yesterday, jurors heard how the teenager had been drinking vodka with friends before they got separated and she was approached by a man she had never met before, while she was looking for her lost phone.
The charges relate to an alleged incident near Brighton Pier (file picture) on July 16, 2022
Opening the case, prosecutor Beverly Cripps, said how the girl had never been drunk like that before and couldnt see straight, and was holding onto the bar where she was standing by some steps because she was swaying.
The prosecutor said the teenager remembered Eubank asking her age, to which she replied 16, and he said he was 26 before saying something like lets go look at the moon.
Ms Cripps said: She said that he had initially been friendly but had become more aggressive as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up moving her quickly down the beach on each time she fell.
She described her confusion as to how she had got so far down the beach.
In a video interview speaking to police, the girl recalled how she kept falling down on the stones because she couldnt really stand up, and how he had a hold of her wrist, adding: It was quite tight, he kept pulling me back up and I was falling on the stones.
Pretty sure he kissed me, I was very confused, I didnt realise I had been dragged down to the beach bit.
A file photograph of Joseph Eubank (left) with father Chris Eubank Senior (centre) and brother Chris Eubank Junior (right)
She added he was rushing to get down the beach and he pulled her down to the bottom of the groynes near the sea during the incident at around 11.30pm.
It was down on the beach where the girl said he forced her down on him, before she was on her front lying on the stones and she realised afterwards she had been raped, the court heard.
Asked what was going through her head, she told police: I was thinking how did I get into this position. It felt like I was up at the steps a second ago.
Jurors were told after Eubank walked away and she was immediately upset and crying, and found her friends phone to call them and tell them what happened.
She told police she said to her friend: I said some guy took me down to the bottom of the beach and I think he raped me.
I think after that I was just crying for about half an hour probably.
Ms Cripps told the jurors there is no dispute on behalf of Eubank that he intentionally penetrated the teenager, but that the issue was of consent.
The Crown say (she) is vulnerable because of her age, drunken condition... (she was) so intoxicated she was drifting in and out and had a dim appreciation of what happened to her and therefore did not consent.
Joseph Eubanks case is she did consent and she was able to do so freely.
The court also heard how a beach cleaner found the girls phone and when it was returned to her she found a message from an unknown number sent a couple of hours after the incident saying: Hey pup are you ready for round two.
She said the text scared her so she deleted and told police later when the investigation progressed.
Eubank denies the charges and the trial continues.
