Country music mogul ‘bragged that he knew The Beatles before raping a 15-year-old girl’
Mervyn Conn had hired the teen to dress as a cowgirl at a music festival he promoted at Wembley Arena in the 1970s, a court heard
COUNTRY music mogul Mervyn Conn bragged about knowing The Beatles before raping a 15-year-old girl, a court heard.
The "arrogant" impresario had hired the teenager to dress as a cowgirl at a Country and Western music festival he promoted at Wembley Arena in the 1970s, a jury heard.
Conn, now 81, name-dropped The Fab Four and US singer Crystal Gayle to the schoolgirl before forcing himself on her, Kingston Crown Court heard.
He sexually assaulted her while she wore the cowgirl outfit and her school uniform and then raped her in his marital bed with a picture of him and his wife on the bedside, it is alleged.
Conn is accused of flaunting his Rolls Royce and expensive home to show how he "could control, manipulate and do anything he wanted."
The girl said she was scared of him because he "had this bouffant hair, smelt like cigars, looked almost like he was in the Mafia", the court heard.
The woman, now 56, broke down in tears and became extremely distressed as she recalled the alleged abuse in a video recorded police interview played to jurors.
She said she was employed by Conn as a hostess in 1976, and was made to hand out brochures to festivalgoers while dressed in a cowgirl uniform.
She said: "I went to an interview at his head office and was shortlisted.
"He asked if my parents knew. I gave him my date of birth definitely."
The teen was then called back to his office for a uniform fitting, where Conn asked her to "give him a twirl."
The woman went on: "I was working at this festival for a long weekend at Easter that year.
"I was standing near the entrance handing out brochures and he just appeared out of nowhere with a cloth bag and said 'I need you to look after this for me and bring it back to my dressing room', and gave me a time.
"I was by far the youngest member of staff.
";When the time came I took the money and found the dressing room. He was doing a press conference so I sat down and quietly waited."
After the photographers left, Conn is said to sexually assaulted the youngster in his dressing room for two or three minutes.
She said: "It felt like an eternity. He just sort of dismissed me and said he will contact me again about the job.