Woman details alleged sexual assault at Barkers
(CNS): A woman who said she was subjected to attempted rape and sexual assault while she was walking her dogs in West Bay denied that she was having an affair with her attacker and had made a false allegation because she feared being exposed. The woman told the court that, as she was walking her dogs in the early morning hours, she encountered a man whom she knew through a friend who joined her on the walk, but he later tried to rape her and forced her to give him oral sex.
The man turned out to be Josh Alexander Bodden, also from West Bay, who is facing two counts of indecent assault, one of attempted rape and another of assault.
The woman told the court that she knew Bodden only vaguely through his uncle, with whom she was close friends. She said that when they met on the morning of the attack, they chatted as she walked her dogs and he offered to help. They meandered along amiably towards Barkers Beach, the witness said, adding that she was perfectly comfortable chatting with Bodden and was enjoying having company for the regular early morning walk, which she would normally take alone.
When Bodden suggested walking along the beach to allow the dogs to swim, she agreed. But she said that as they approached the beach, her dogs were not interested in going into the water because it was still dark.
At that point, she said, she told Bodden she wanted to head back towards her home but he would not let her and pulled her back. From nowhere, she said, he slapped her extremely hard with his open palm to the left side of her face, which knocked her to the ground and inflicting a nasty cut above her eye. He then punched her in the stomach and began ordering her to take off her clothes and forced her to suck his penis.
She described the ordeal and threats, as well as his attempts to rape her and force her to continue the oral sex act, as he continued to threaten her life. The woman said she tried to get away but each time he caught her and pulled her back and increased the threats of violence.
She believed the assault lasted around an hour and she was afraid of what more he would do to her. But eventually, as the sun came up, he left and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. But as soon as she could, she retrieved her clothes and returned home, where she woke her husband up and told him what had happened. She then went straight to the police station to make a report.
Bodden has denied the allegations and claimed the sexual encounter was consenting. Through his attorney, he suggested the woman was lying as she had been having an affair with Bodden for some seven months and on several occasions, under the pretense of walking the dogs, she had gone to Barkers Beach with him for sex while her husband was sleeping. The defence claimed that she had made up a false allegation because of her fear of being exposed and because on this occasion, Bodden had to leave early and she had not been sexually satisfied.
The woman repeatedly denied the allegations put by Bodden’s attorney, stating that she barely knew Bodden and had never met him before or consented to any sex acts.
The case continues.
