Overview

• A witness told the court she tracked the teenager’s phone, tried to open the car door, and then pursued the vehicle before later collecting the complainant and taking her to her parents, after which police were called.
• Prosecutors say Butters pulled into a remote layby and carried out a series of sexual assaults in his car after a night out in Darlington.
• The complainant’s messages to an ex-partner were read to the jury, including that she was scared and later that she had been forced to perform acts for a lift home.
• Under cross-examination, the complainant denied flirting, trying to provoke jealousy, or consenting, and said she froze in the seat and did not leave the car during a McDonald’s stop.
• A police interview transcript presented to the jury recorded Butters saying the encounter was entirely consensual and a two-way interaction; he denies all charges, and the trial continues.