THE trial of Daryll Pitcher, an Isle of Wight councillor charged with historic child sex abuse, is going into a second week.

Judge, Recorder Richard Onslow, will continue summing up the case on Monday, when it is also expected the jury will be sent out to decide on their verdict.

Mr Pitcher, 46, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape between June 1990 and March 1992 and one of indecent assault of a girl under 13 years old, by having sexual intercourse between March and June 1990.

Earlier this week, the alleged victim told Isle of Wight Crown Court jurors Mr Pitcher had raped her twice as a child, when he was a child himself.

In a statement to police, Mr Picther said they used to play together as children but he never touched her in a sexual way and did not know why she was saying he had done this.

Today (Friday), Nick Tucker, prosecuting, said it was not a case where the jury had fingerprints, phone records, DNA or CCTV evidence to help decide, they instead had the word of the woman, who says Mr Pitcher raped her.

He conceded it was one person's word against another but invited them to find Mr Pitcher guilty.

Mr Tucker said it may be the defence's suggestion the woman was telling lies and questioned what her motive would be to do so.

He said: "There is no reason for her to lie and every reason why she would not wish to make these allegations unless they were true.

"I invite you to conclude it is wholly implausible to suggest she is lying, she has no motive to do so, it was not her decision to go to the police.

"It is also wholly implausible to suggest she is mistaken about events of this nature, which she has described in such detail."

Mr Tucker told the jury, the prosecution placed Mr Pitcher as being over 14 in both incidents.

For Mr Pitcher, John Dyer said the prosecution had to prove Mr Pitcher was over 14 when the offences occurred or, by the law of that time, he could not be guilty of the rapes.

Mr Dyer said that was what was so difficult about the case, as they were being asked to determine a date 30 years ago and be satisfied Mr Pitcher was over 14 at the time.

He suggested the victim's memory was playing tricks on her, she was deluded and she suddenly blurted the allegations out when no one suspected anything beforehand.

He said it might have been through counselling and the need to report the allegations that she thought she had to go through with it and it had snowballed ever since.

Mr Dyer said he was not criticising counselling but counsellors did not challenge what a person was saying which only 'fortifies one's beliefs'.

He also questioned why the victim had not come forward and complained of the assault at an earlier stage, instead of 30 years later.

Read more from the trial here: