Brian Cerqua trial: Alleged victim 'felt she was in the wrong'

Mr Cerqua was found not guilty on all counts on Friday, April 19.

Brian Lee Cerqua, of Amesbury, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual activity with a child with six counts which are said to have taken place between April 24, 2006, and April 23, 2009.

It is alleged that Cerqua, 47, raped a girl known to him when she was aged between 13 and 15 more than 30 times.

Cerqua denies engaging in sexual activity with the girl.

The victim cannot be named for legal reasons but for reporting purposes will be called Ms X. Details which could lead to her identification have also been omitted in this report.

During the fifth day of Cerqua's trial, on April 12, the jury heard evidence from two of Ms X's close friends.

Brian Lee Cerqua. (Image: Newsquest)

The first friend met Ms X when she was 15 years old but became closer at a young mums' club following the birth of her first child around 2010.

During a gathering at the friend's house in 2021, Ms X "blurted out" that she was abused by Cerqua "totally out of the blue". 

The friend told the court: "She said that Brian had abused her when she was younger but in the conversation she was blaming herself.

"She didn’t want anyone to know. She said she felt like she was in the wrong.

"I reassured her and said it wasn’t the case, she was a child."

Read more about the trial:

• Day one: Amesbury man Brian Cerqua on trial in Salisbury for child rape
• Day two: Teen was allegedly raped 'more than 30 times', court hears

In the days following this, Ms X revealed more details of the alleged abuse, including when it took place, the extent of Cerqua's actions and "exact" stories, according to the friend.

She recalled one incident of Cerqua inappropriately placing himself in an "awkward position" with his penis area near Ms X's head as he adjusted her television.

None of these precise details were included in the friend's witness statement to Wiltshire Police.

'Were you worried you wouldn’t remember them accurately?'

During cross examination Fern Russell, defending Cerqua, said: "Every detail about ages, activities, frequencies - they are all missing from your witness statement, why?"

"I don’t know. I think I was just basing my statement around when she first told me rather than the details I knew," the friend responded.

Ms Russell then said: "That can't be right because you were able to tell the police that she had given you more detail about the things Brian had done to her but for some reason you didn’t go into that detail. 

"So you must have known that you knew some detail but you weren’t going to give it to the police. Were you worried it was because you wouldn’t remember them accurately?"

"No I remember them accurately," she responded.

The friend could not say why the precise details were not included in her original witness statement but denied being told them in the lead up to the trial.

Childhood friend recalls "uncomfortable" experience

The second friend, who had known Ms X since she was five, said Cerqua was "affectionate" and "very touchy-feely" with Ms X as she saw him stroking her thigh and kissing her on the lips.

"At the time I don’t think I really saw it for what it was. It didn’t ring alarm bells to me at the time," she told the court.

This witness also claimed Cerqua gave the pair drugs including base, MDMA and cannabis.

See more: ​'Legal issue' arises in Amesbury man Brian Cerqua's court case

The trial continues.