Tony Farr from Bradfield Southend brands alleged child sex abuse victim an ‘attention seeker’
A MAN who denies sexually abusing an eight-year-old child has branded her an “attention seeker”.
Jurors have been told that the accused – 59-year-old hairdresser Anthony ‘Tony’ Farr – has previously been jailed, having admitted possessing 20,000 indecent images of children.
But, giving evidence in his defence in the current trial at Reading Crown Court, Farr blamed an allegedly foul-mouthed lawyer, an apparently wayward judge and “persecution” by the Newbury Weekly News for his woes.
The court has heard that Farr, of Southend Road, Bradfield Southend, gained access to a girl in the Newbury postal region.
He is alleged to have repeatedly sexually abused her and warned her not to tell what was happening because no one would believe her.
She eventually confided in her mother, who told Farr she and her daughter were reporting him to police, with whom the child agreed to make a video statement.
However she changed her mind after Farr took an overdose and was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
That might have been the end of the matter.
But years later the girl was given a psychological assessment for a mental health condition she had developed.
During it, she gave a full account of what Farr had allegedly done to her.
And this time, the court heard, she pressed forward with her account – despite another apparent suicide attempt by Farr.
Giving evidence, Farr denied that the second apparent self harm bid was an attempt to influence the girl.
He pleads not guilty to charges of penetrative sexual assault and causing or inciting a child to touch his genitals.
From the witness box he told the jury that – despite his admissions and subsequent imprisonment for the indecent images – he had no sexual interest in children.
He described the search terms he had used – such as ‘Lolita’ and ‘Daddy’s little girl’ – as normal and harmless, and branded his subsequent imprisonment “a travesty”.
He said: “I didn’t want to plead guilty at all, actually.
“There was no intent from me; paedophilia is evil – disgusting.”
But, he claimed, his legal advisor had told him: “Shut your f****** mouth” and that the judge had simply “banged his gavel” and declared: “It’s an open and shut case – 18 months.”
Judge Neil Millard interrupted proceedings to remind him: “Mr Farr, you know we don’t use gavels in this country?
“That’s American.”
Farr branded the outcome of that case a “travesty” and said he should have received a community penalty instead of custody.
He added that he had had £5 in his pocket and had expected to go for a meal instead of to a cell.
Farr went on to describe the girl as “an attention seeker” and told the court: “She’s now a victim – she’s in a perfect situation; this is all just perfect for [her].”
He described NWN court reports of his admissions to the 20,000 indecent images charges as “persecution” and claimed he had been “victimised by the press” and villagers.
Ms Davies, cross examining Farr, told him that a record of the judge’s sentencing remarks in the images case did not tally with his account.
Instead, she asked: “Does this ring any bells, Mr Farr – in his sentencing remarks the judge said: ‘There are a large number of victims; another aggravating factor is that you carried out a large number of searches [and that] you have difficulty accepting what you’ve done?”
Farr replied: “I don’t remember that.”
He added: “It’s just been one long, suffering time.”
Farr has also claimed that he was unable to get a spontaneous erection due to a medical condition.
The court has heard from an expert medical witness that he would have had to have taken Viagra treatment on an empty stomach before he planned any sexual activity.
The trial continues.
