‘Successful Bolton businessman’ Dean Holmes weeps at rape trial

Defence barrister Graham Rishton asked Dean Holmes, 43, a series of questions, giving him the opportunity to apologise for the way he had previously spoken to the woman in question, as well as for hitting her.

However, he steadfastly maintained he was not guilty of rape.

Holmes said: “I used to run a successful business – I’ve been very successful over the years.

“Things took a decline through COVID, and at the start of 2023 I lost the main part of my business, which was manufacturing.”

This eventually led Holmes to being “bankrupt” and “penniless”, resulting in a decline in his “mental health”, the court heard.

Mr Rishton said: “You mentioned your mental health in your testimony. Are you advancing that as an excuse for your behaviour?

Holmes replied: “No excuse at all.

“It played a major factor in my life at the time but there is no excuse for those messages.

“They are disgusting, and I was totally appalled to hear them and I was ashamed of myself and disgusted.”

The ‘messages’ refer to a transcript that was read out earlier in the proceedings detailing messages sent between Holmes and the alleged victim.

“In those messages,” continued Mr Rishton, “you called her stupid, you called her a s***. How do you imagine she felt?”

“Horrified,” replied Holmes, “totally shocked.”

Mr Rishton then turned to a prepared statement Holmes had given police shortly after his initial arrest, wherein he made a number of statements that he has now retracted.

“Why did you advance a statement in which so many things were not correct?” said Mr Rishton.

“I heard the allegations of rape,” said Holmes, “and I was totally shocked – I was panicking.”

Mr Rishton then put a direct question to Holmes regarding the rape allegation, asking him if he had ever “forced himself” upon the alleged victim.

“Never in a million years,” replied Holmes, “would I ever do anything like that.”

Holmes became visibly emotional in the stand at this point, his voice cracking.

Mr Rishton said: “Did you ever have sex with her while she was in tears?”

“Never once, and it would never happen,” replied Holmes.

This ended Mr Rishton’s questioning of Holmes, who was crying in the stand at this point, requiring a 15-minute break to compose himself before the prosecution’s cross-examination.

Prosecutor Mark Kellet asked Holmes why the prepared statement he gave to the police shortly after his arrest contained so much information he now “doesn’t accept.”

“Why lie?” asked Mr Kellet.

Holmes said: “I hold my hands up – I was panicking.”

He then said he originally denied assault and controlling coercive behaviour because, until reading the evidence bundle, he “did not believe he was as bad as he was.”

He said on reading the evidence, he felt “shame” and “disgust” at the way he had behaved towards the victim.

Mr Kellet then questioned him as to why the “shame and disgust” only set in later, despite the fact Holmes “knew he had done wrong.”

Holmes said this was because he was “panicking.”

Mr Kellet read out some of the messages that had previously been sent between Holmes and the alleged victim.

He said: “You talked about her ‘chavvy a***’ and called her a ‘pathetic piece of s***’”

“It was a banterish comment,” Holmes responded.

Mr Kellet said: “It’s not banter is it, calling her a ‘pathetic piece of s**t.’”

“When it is read out in court it doesn’t sound right – it was a joke,” said Holmes.

Mr Kellet said: “A joke? ‘You are luck you are still breathing’ – was that a joke?”

“No sir,” said Holmes, “I hold my hands up.

“I was in the wrong, but I am not a rapist.”

Mr Kellet said: “‘You should be worshipping at my feet for what I have done for you’?”

“It’s a horrible comment,” Holmes said.

Mr Kellet put the rape accusations to Holmes directly, stating Holmes “would not take no for an answer.”

Holmes responded: “I would never do anything like that – I would never do anything as disgusting as that.”

Mr Kellet said: “And you raped her.

“No sir, I would never do anything like that.”

Holmes became visibly emotional again when rape was mentioned directly.

Holmes, of The Highgrove, Markland Hill, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour but denies four counts of rape.

The jury has now retired to consider their verdict.