Sex with girl, 13, denied

Oct 10 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

A TOP female tennis coach yesterday denied having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl she tutored.

Claire Lyte, 29, told Liverpool Crown Court the Merseyside teenager sent her text messages which looked as though she was infatuated with the coach.

Lyte, of Solihull, West Midlands, has pleaded not guilty to five charges of sexual activity with a child.

During her trial, the court has heard Lyte coached the teenager at the Lawn Tennis Association’s academy in Loughborough.

The court has heard the girl’s mother claim she found Lyte and the 13-year-old naked in bed together on October 2, 2005, but it was not reported to police until August, 2006.

David Mason, defending, asked Lyte if she had sex with the girl.

Lyte replied: “It’s just not true. It never happened.”

He asked Lyte if she had a sexual relationship with the girl, or if she was attracted to 13-year-old girls, which she denied.

The case continues.