Katie Price tells court she was 'really shocked' by Hayler rape allegations

Katie Price gave evidence from behind a screen at Lewes Crown Court on Monday, telling jurors she was "really shocked" to learn of the allegations made against her former husband Kieran Hayler. She said she had exchanged text messages with the complainant and could tell the girl was afraid, and that she believed her account.

Price told the court the girl had said Hayler "had tried to kiss her" and "had done stuff to her". When she raised the alleged rape with Hayler, she said his answer was always a denial — "no I hadn't". Asked what the complainant had described to her, Price said it was "definitely a kiss and that he said he loved her", adding that she had wanted to get information out of the girl because the matter was serious.

The court also heard Price say she had used Hayler's fingerprints while he was reportedly intoxicated to unlock his phone.

Hayler is on trial accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against a girl who was 13 at the time, in West Sussex in 2016. He denies all the charges. The complainant is not a member of either Hayler's or Price's extended families.

The trial has previously been told that the alleged victim first contacted the NSPCC in 2021, which referred her to police and prompted the investigation. Hayler and Price were married at the time the allegations date from; their relationship broke down in 2018 and they divorced in 2021. The court has heard Hayler suggest his ex-wife "launched a campaign" against him when the marriage ended and that the allegations form part of it.

The trial continues.