The Father
36.The father also required an interpreter when giving oral evidence. He affirmed that he had had no knowledge of any allegations by R prior to her making them to her school and the police on 7 June 2021. He denied that he had witnessed or had been told about a row between R and T in which R accused T of stealing her innocence. The father portrayed the family as “normal” with good relations between parents and children and between R and T. He denied R’s characterisation of him as conservative, traditional, and sometimes aggressive. He denied that he had ever called R a slut, as she alleged to the police, or that he had fought with her about whether she could wear a skirt as part of her school uniform, which was something she told the police about during her interview. He denied having taken a view as to whether R or T was telling the truth about the allegations (other than the limited admission by T) and told the court that had R spoken to him about the allegations he would have talked to R and T and then reported the matters to social services and the police. He denied that he would have kept the allegations within the family. He said that it is certain that if the mother had learned of the allegations she would have informed him. He said that he stood by R and missed her. He said that the police and social services had advised the parents that T should leave the family house so that S could return and that they had gone along with that decision.