Langham ‘Abused Girl For Three Years’

Award-winning comedy actor Chris Langham groomed, corrupted and systematically abused a teenage girl over a three-year period, a court has heard. Langham, 58, had an “interest in young girls” and downloaded child pornography from the internet, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Barraclough QC told the court that the defendant, from Golford near Cranbrook, in Kent, claimed to police that he downloaded the images for research for a television programme – something he described as a “spurious explanation”.

Langham denies 10 counts of indecent assault and two counts of buggery between January 1996 and April 2000. He also denies 15 counts of making an indecent photograph of a child between September and November 2005.

Mr Barraclough said: “This case concerns an allegation by the Crown of grooming and systematic abuse.” He said that over a three-year period from 1996 until around 1999 he took part in oral sex and buggery with the girl. He said: “Mr Langham, the Crown alleges, has an interest in young girls. The Crown alleges that he corrupted this young girl.

“As she got older, he asked her to shave herself and she refused. Then in 2005 the police raided his home, they removed a number of computers and experts have found film and images on his computers which he has downloaded from the internet. They are images of young girls being degraded and sexually abused.

“The defendant told the police that he downloaded them for the purpose of research for a programme he was making. The Crown say that this is a spurious explanation.” He added: “If you deliberately download these type of images, you are guilty of an offence. It is no defence to say that you are doing it for research.”

The hearing was adjourned and continues on Monday.