A jury has unanimously convicted a 36-year-old personal trainer of raping a woman in Barry in early 2023.
Linford Harris, who lives on High Street in the town, was found guilty at Newport Crown Court at the end of a trial lasting four days.
The verdicts
Jurors reached the following decisions:
- Rape – guilty
- Sexual assault – not guilty
Judge Daniel Williams remanded Harris in custody. He is due to be sentenced on December 16.
The woman’s evidence
Giving evidence, the woman told the court that Harris had raped her and that he has “ruined my life”.
During cross-examination, defence barrister Andrew Kendall said of the first allegation: “That didn’t happen at all.”
She answered: “I disagree. I haven’t lied to you. Everything I’ve said happened.”
Mr Kendall went on to put it to her: “You were more than willing for him to do sexual things with you.”
Her response was: “No. I didn’t want anything to do with him. Everything I’ve told you is the truth.”
The jury also heard that she had described Harris as “beyond creepy” in messages sent to another woman.
The Crown’s case
Joshua Scouller, prosecuting, set out two allegations.
The first, which related to the sexual assault charge Harris was cleared of, was that he pushed the woman against a bathroom wall, lifted her bra and kissed her breasts.
The second was that he raped her in a kitchen and afterwards called her “f stupid”.
When he cross-examined Harris, Mr Scouller told him: “You raped her. You weren’t going to take no for an answer. She wasn’t sexually interested in you.”
Harris’s account
Harris insisted he had done nothing wrong. He told the court: “She was sexually attracted to me.”
He said a sexual encounter had happened between them, but that it was not penetrative and was “consensual”.
When he gave evidence in his own defence, Mr Kendall asked him: “Did you ever do anything to make her (the complainant) uncomfortable?”
Harris replied: “No, nothing at all.”
Asked by Mr Kendall whether he had ever done anything sexual without her consent, he said no.
Character evidence
Mr Kendall read five character references to the court. They described Harris as “respectful, kind, caring and supportive”.
The court was also told that Harris has no previous convictions and has played football for a side that won promotion to the Welsh Alliance League.
