DJ Ray Teret found guilty of abusing young girls

A DJ FRIEND of Jimmy Savile has been convicted of a catalogue of historical sex offences against young girls.
DJ Ray Teret, who has been convicted of historical sex offences against young girls, pictured with The Beatles. Picture: PADJ Ray Teret, who has been convicted of historical sex offences against young girls, pictured with The Beatles. Picture: PA
DJ Ray Teret, who has been convicted of historical sex offences against young girls, pictured with The Beatles. Picture: PA

Ex-Radio Caroline DJ Ray Teret, 73, used his celebrity status in the Manchester club scene in the 1960s and 70s to prey on many of his victims.

Teret, known as Ugly Ray, was mentored by Savile early in his career and was described as following him around “like a shadow”, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

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Teret, of Altrincham, told the jury he had no interest in underage girls, despite a previous conviction for sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl in 1999, which he continues to deny.

DJ Ray Teret. Picture: PADJ Ray Teret. Picture: PA
DJ Ray Teret. Picture: PA

He denied 18 rapes, two other serious sexual assaults, one attempted rape, 12 indecent assaults and one count of indecency with a child. After more than 60 hours of deliberations, he was yesterday convicted of seven rapes and 11 indecent assaults. He was cleared of the other charges.

Opening the case, prosecutor Tim Evans said: “The Crown says that young teenage girls, far from doing nothing for him, were consistently pursued by him through the 1960s and 70s.”

Many of the victims were starstruck, with DJs treated like “royalty” in that era, said Mr Evans.

He said: “The basic set-up, the background is the same: a naive girl who has the headlights of fame shone on her, who is taken to a flat and, without any understanding of what is going on, has a male many years older, having sex with her.”

Teret told the prosecutor that men who pounced on a girl and hoped to get away with it “want shooting” and he had never been in that situation. He said: “I only make love. Not sex, sir. I only make love with ladies who want to make love with me.”

Teret will be sentenced next Thursday and was yesterday remanded in custody. He was cleared of aiding and abetting Savile to rape a 15-year-old girl in the early 1960s but was found guilty himself of raping the same complainant.

The Crown had said Teret lied to the naive teenager that he was 17 and drove her from a disco in Savile’s bubble car to a flat.

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Savile was waiting and said she had lovely hair as he began to stroke it, the woman told the court. She said she started to tell him how she had dyed her hair when Savile put his hands up her skirt before pushing her on to a bed and raping her.

Teret came into the room after Savile left and also raped her, she said. he was then said to have told her: “You should be thanking us because we have made it easier for when the next person goes there.”

Nicholas Johnson QC, defending Teret, said he was now facing the prospect of serving a “very long time in prison”.

Peter Watt, national services director at the NSPCC, said: “What Teret did, including raping a 15-year-old after she had been raped by Savile, has undoubtedly cast a very long and dark shadow over the victims.

“Teret treated impressionable, vulnerable girls as pieces of meat to be passed around.”

Liz Dux, a lawyer at Slater & Gordon, which represents 169 of Savile’s victims, welcomed the verdict. She said: “This is the closest the victims of Jimmy Savile will get to a conviction against their attacker – they will take some comfort from the verdict.

“Teret has been proved to be a predatory paedophile and dangerous sex offender in the same mould as his friend Savile.”

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