A former pupil giving evidence in the trial of ex-teacher Sally-Anne Bowen has told Harrow Crown Court that she reported him to police for "threatening to rape her" over comments he made on a 2025 podcast, insisting the quote had been taken out of context. Bowen, 65, denies sexually abusing two boys at Christ's College in Finchley, north London, in the late 1980s when they were aged 14 and 15, and faces eight counts of indecent assault. The case matters as it centres on how alleged historic abuse, and the complainants' subsequent public comments, are being scrutinised decades later in court.

The complainant, now in his 50s, told jurors his full quote to Tortoise Media's Lucky Boy podcast also included saying he "might want to punch her in the face," and explained the remarks were made when asked what he'd say to Bowen at a hoped-for restorative justice meeting, which police refused given the seriousness of the allegations. He said he had had sex with Bowen "20 to 30 times" over five months as a teenager, and accused her of isolating him from family and friends. Defence counsel Mark Kimsey challenged his account, suggesting he had been "obsessed" with Bowen and had embellished details, including about an alleged urination "fetish," which the complainant denied. The trial continues.