A WOMAN accusing a man of sexually abusing her as a child is “a Jekyll and Hyde character” with a history of lying, a court heard.

David Owen-Jones, defending Neil Bennett, told Snaresbrook Crown Court the woman making accusations against his client was completely inventing her story.

Mr Bennett, 50, of Forest Edge, in Buckhurst Hill, faces 11 allegations relating to the alleged abuse of the woman as a child, and two allegations against a male when a child.

Mr Owen-Jones said the two complainants in the trial had conspired together to make the allegations against Mr Bennett.

Addressing the woman complainant he said: “I suggest to you that you are lying. I suggest the details are complete fabrications and that some time in November 2006 you colluded [with the other complainant] to pressure him to change his story, forcing him almost to support your account. You have put your heads together, he for money, and you to support your story.”

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied the allegation adding: “It’s sad enough what he did to me. I didn’t want to know what he’d done to him. Other people have been abused by that man. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s abused other people. I want to get him off the streets.”

The woman had first made allegations against Mr Bennett in 2000 when she was interviewed by police at Woodford Police Station, although no criminal charges were brought.

At the time she was in a psychiatric hospital after making a suicide attempt.

Mr Owen-Jones said: “During this period you were being seen by a large number of psychiatrists. I suggest you were severely disturbed. You were making panic calls to the police and behaving very bizarrely.”

Both defence and prosecution barristers in the case agree the woman suffered sexual abuse when she was very young at the hands of a number of family members.

Mr Owen-Jones said: “When you went to that interview, I suggest, through no fault of your own, you were suffering flashbacks to the appalling and disgusting abuse you had suffered at the hands of your family.”

The alleged victim answered: “I was not having flashbacks. The abuse was nowhere near what that man did to me.”

In her previous admissions to court, the woman had spoken of years of sexual abuse by Mr Bennett before she reported him to police in the year 2000.

Mr Owen-Jones asked her why in all that time the only complaint she had made was telling a social worker Mr Bennett had once kissed her on the lips.

He said: “You reported Mr Bennett when you were seven or eight years old for kissing you. You suffered sexual intercourse after sexual intercourse but did nothing.

“You told no one. You had certainly performed many unusual sexual acts, but not a whisper. It had been going on for about two years. There were teachers at three schools. Did you tell anyone?”

The woman replied: “I didn’t report it because I was scared.”

Mr Owen-Jones said the lack of reporting was particularly unusual because before meeting Mr Bennet, the woman had phoned the police to tell them of incidents of sexual abuse by family members.

Most of the allleged incidents of sexual abuse are said to have occurred at Mr Bennett’s previous home in New North Road, Hainault, and Mr Owen-Jones questioned how this could be the case when his client's wife and children must have regularly been present there.

The woman replied that Mr Bennett only abused her when his wife wasn’t around and the acts would rarely take longer then 20 minutes.

Mr Owen-Jones also questioned why, after making the allegations in 2000, she had subsequently written letters to Mr Bennett apologising to him and had even sent him a happy anniversary card.

He said: “This to a man who raped you? On a number of occasions you sent very loving letters to the Bennett family. I suggest you are a kind of Jekyll and Hyde character.”

The woman pointed out she had also sent many unpleasant letters to Mr Bennett adding: “At that time I didn’t know if I’d done the right thing in telling about him. That doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”

Ending his cross-examination, Mr Owen-Jones read out a list of previous complaints he said she had falsely made about other people.

They included allegations made when she was five that a boy at school had sexually assaulted her, and an allegation in 1991 that a boy had watched her going to the toilet.

He again accused her of being financially motivated in the current case ending: “You have lied and lied and lied. You have made up these appalling allegations - wrongly when you were sick in 2000, and maliciously now.”

The woman replied: “Why do I need a profit? I’m here to stop him doing something to another child. If Mr Bennett had a heart he would admit what he did.”

Mr Bennett faces two charges of rape, two of attempted rape, five of indecent assault, and two of indecency with a child - all said to have taken place with the woman when she was a young girl.

He also faces two charges of indecent assault on a boy aged under 16.

All the alleged offences are said to have been committed between 1997 and 2000.

Mr Bennett denies all the charges against him.

The trial continues.