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A British Hollywood actress who starred in Doctor Strange with
Benedict Cumberbatch groomed a 13-year-old girl with her husband and
filmed themselves abusing her after plying the victim with dark rum,
a court has heard.
Martial arts expert Zara Phythian, 36, from Nottinghamshire, is on
trial accused of 14 charges of sexual activity with a child with her
partner Victor Marke, 59.
Phythian, who starred in the 2016 Marvel film viewed as
Cumberbatch's blockbuster breakthrough, targeted the teenager with
Marke - with the abuse starting when the alleged victim was just 13.
The couple filmed most of the abuse in bid to recreate their
favourite porn scenes.
The attacks are claimed to have happened between 2005 and 2008 when
they were martial arts instructors in Arnold - but the girl went to
the police about Marke and Phythian 'at the height of her success'.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that alongside Phythian's acting
career, the couple were sports coaches who ‘commanded admiration and
respect within the martial arts world’.
But prosecutor Ahmed Hossain QC said Marke, a taekwondo ‘master’,
used his position of trust to ‘satisfy his sexual urges’ in
targeting the girl – with his wife acting ‘as part of that process’.
The child also felt like she was being 'coached' by Phythian during
the abuse, the court was told.
Jurors were told that on the first occasion the victim, who cannot
be named for legal reasons, was plied with rum at the couple’s home
before being ‘dared’ by Zara, 36, to perform a sex act on Victor
after showing her how. After that, it was claimed the Markes abused
the girl ‘once or twice a month’ for the next three years, and urged
her ‘not to tell anyone’.
Marke, 59, and Phythian, 36, - whose legal name is now Zara Marke -
deny 14 charges of sexual activity with a child.
As well as being cast in Hollywood hit Doctor Strange as the
character Brunette Zealot, the actress has also appeared in a string
of other films under her stage name Zara Phythian, with her latest
action movie Accident Man 2 due out this year.
Jurors were shown a video interview their alleged victim gave to
police. In it, she described how she would stay at the Markes’ then
home in Arnold, Nottingham, where the pair would ‘let her drink’,
even though she was just 13.
‘Zara asked me if I wanted to play a game of “dare”, and started [performing a sex act on] Victor. She asked me to do the same.
‘Then he took it in turns to have sex with each of us.
‘I just did whatever they asked me to do. They made it seem like I
was some naughty kid and they were helping me out. I just felt like
there was no way out. They told me not to say anything.’
She estimated Marke, a coach in martial arts and Taekwondo at a very
high level, had sex with her about 20 times on different occasions.
Phythian, who portrayed Brunette Zealot in the Marvel film, was 'at
the height of her success,' said barrister, Francis McGrath, who is representing Marke, the film star's husband.
Mr McGrath made reference to Phythian's climb to fame as he cross-
examined the woman who has claimed Marke repeatedly indecently
assaulted her as a teenager.
'On December 4, 2016, at the height of her success, you made a
complaint'.
This led to a police video recording of her allegations two days
later.
The woman told the court, 'they are not linked' - when it was
suggested she went to police after 'Zara Phythian' - someone from
her youth - was experiencing the unprecedented success referred to.
The woman had told police she was groomed and sexually touched by
Marke of Ravenshead. After she turned 16, he is alleged to have had
sex with her.
The victim said she decided it was the responsible thing to make a
disclosure to police due to the job she was in.
She told the court she was dealing with two safeguarding cases at
work, 'matters which were very tough to deal with and, me
personally, was taking a toll on'.
After she felt she could not cope with 'not saying anything
anymore', she decided to say something.
Marke faces four allegations, all denied, of historic indecent
assault on another woman who was 15 at the time between 2002 and
2003.
He is also jointly charged with his wife, Phythian, of 14 denied
allegations of sexual activity with a different woman who was a girl
at the time.
The trial continues.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10760191/Zara-Phythian- Doctor-Strange-Benedict-Cumberbatch-husband-sex-girl.html
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