Man 'attempted to rape 12-year-old before joking about it'

A woman has told a jury that a man tried to rape her before joking about it.

The 22-year-old claimed Kim Avis attacked her when she was 12 at a property near Inverness.

She told prosecutor Graeme Jessop that she believed Avis treated it “like a game.”

She stated that she was given a massage by Avis who then got on top of her. The woman claimed Avis performed a sex act on himself and stated he spoke to her in a “joking sense” after it.

Avis denies more than 20 charges at the High Court in Glasgow spanning between January 1997 and March 2019.

The accusations include claims he raped three women. He is also said to have attempted to rape one of the women when she was 12.

Avis is further charged with sexually assaulting a girl when she was 11.

The woman told jurors of an incident in which Avis walked into the toilet when she was putting a robe on.

She said: “He said he wanted to fix something and was telling me to hurry up and I felt quite rushed. I had to put my robe on and it felt quite strange as he really needed to come into the bathroom.

“I remember locking the door and having my robe on but I was naked underneath. I remember him opening the door…it felt a little embarrassing.”

The woman claimed Avis dropped his towel in her presence but couldn’t say if it was intentional or not.

She added: “It happened very quick and I covered my eyes and he went ‘oops’.”

She then stated that she asked Avis to give her a massage days after her 12th birthday.

She alleged that Avis got on top of her and attempted to rape her before performing a sex act on himself.

The woman added: “He asked me to look at him while he was doing it and was talking in a joking sense. It was like it was some kind of game.

“I remember feeling embarrassed and I didn’t want to look, I do remember looking quickly, then looking away.”

The woman stated she was told by Avis not to mention what happened or else “he would die.”

She added: “He said this in a playful joking manner.”

The trial continues before judge Lord Sandison.