Overview
- The Crown Court trial of 65-year-old Deborah Franklin is underway on charges of eight counts of gross indecency for alleged offences between 1991 and 1995.
- The complainant, now in his 40s, gave a video-recorded account on Monday saying the abuse began when he was about nine and continued while Franklin tutored him at home.
- In court the complainant described being tied, blindfolded and tickled with a feather and later having sexual encounters that he says were arranged by Franklin.
- Prosecutor Gavin Pottinger told jurors the prosecution will call the complainant’s friends and family and produce photographs to corroborate the relationship and the alleged incidents.
- Franklin denies all charges and remains on unconditional bail, and the case will turn on the historic testimony, the ABE interview recorded in May 2026, and the forthcoming witness and documentary evidence.