Zara Phythian, a martial artist and actress who appeared in the 2016 Marvel blockbuster “Dr. Strange,” is accused of grooming and participating in sex acts with a 13-year-old in 2005.
The BBC reported that the trial is underway in a British court. Phythian, now 36, and her 59-year-old husband Victor Marke, is accused of a sexual relationship with the underage girl. It is alleged to have started in 2005 and continued for 3 years.
The couple is being charged with 14 counts of sexual activity with a child in the U.K.
Martial artists charged
Phythian and Marke, are both martial arts practitioners. They have been married since 2015.
Jurors in Nottingham Crown Court were shown a 2016 police interview. The alleged victim gave details of her involvement with the couple.
According to the accuser, the improper liaison began when she was given alcohol. Then she was dared to perform fellatio on Marke. And Phythian is accused of turning the event into a ménage à trois.