A distressed husband in England planned a surprise party on Facebook to catch his wife’s alleged rapist, a court heard Tuesday.
The husband created a party on the social networking site to corner Andrew Marsh, 38, of Kent, who reportedly raped the victim more than 10 years ago, when she was a schoolgirl.
The husband traced Marsh’s name after the couple had an argument about the lack of intimacy in their marriage. The woman confessed that she had been raped and revealed the attacker’s name after her husband kept “badgering” her.
“I didn’t want to tell him because I was scared what he would do,” the wife said at trial.
What the husband did, according to the court, was to speak with Marsh’s friends on Facebook in 2011, claiming he was planning a “surprise party” for his wife. Once he had Marsh’s information, he showed up at Marsh’s house and “beat him,” said the prosecutor.
Following the violent argument with Marsh, the husband convinced the wife to report the rape to police so he wouldn’t be charged with assault.
The court heard testimony from the wife regarding her and Marsh’s casual relationship. He was described as “very friendly, chatty, and flirty,” married, and the operator of a small grocer near her school. On her birthday, Marsh allegedly led her to an alleyway, pinned her against a wall, and raped her.
Marsh denies the allegations and said that although he recalls “kissing and cuddling” the woman, there wasn’t any sexual intercourse between the two. The trial continues Wednesday.
Photo via Alan Cleaver/Flickr