Teen soap star 'raped boy to prove he was bisexual' court hears

A teenage television soap actor raped a 14-year-old boy to prove to his girlfriend he was bisexual, a court heard.

The actor, then 15, insisted he had to “be with a boy” as he forced the fellow stage school pupil to perform oral sex on him at the Wimbledon Theatre in southwest London, a jury heard.

He then dragged the 14-year-old into a stairwell the following day and raped him in front of his girlfriend, Blackfriars Crown Court was told.

The defendant, who is now 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of raping and molesting the boy between July and September 2010.

Prosecutor Timothy Forster said the abuse started with a series of explicit text messages after the actor revealed his sexuality to the victim while they worked on a show.

The following day, in July 2010, while the alleged victim was preparing costumes in the gods of the theatre, he was dragged into a closed-off staircase and sexually assaulted, the court heard.

A second assault was alleged to have taken place at the pupils’ stage school. Following a confrontation in the school’s changing rooms, teachers began to investigate and eventually the case was passed to police.

Mr Forster said the defendant will argue that the sexual contact was consensual.

The actor, from Surrey, pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault in July 2010 and two counts of sexual assault in September 2010.

The trial, which is due to last two weeks, continues.