Doctor Strange Actress Zara Phythian and Husband Accused of Having Sex with 13-Year-Old: Reports
Tom Maddick/SWNS Zara Phythian and Victor Marke
Zara Phythian, who appeared in Marvel's 2016 blockbuster Doctor Strange, and her husband have been accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The actress and martial artist, along with her husband Victor Marke, are denying multiple sexual-offense accusations brought against them by a woman who was 13 at the time of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Phythian, 36, and Marke, 59, the BBC reports. Altogether, the couple are facing 14 charges of sexual activity with a child in the U.K.
According to the outlet, a police interview with the woman was played at Nottingham Crown Court in the U.K., in which she alleged Marke and Phythian sexually abused her between the ages of 13 and 15, beginning in 2005.
"I knew it was wrong but I just didn't know how to get out of the situation or say anything," she said, per the BBC.
Reps for Phythian and Marke did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Tom Maddick/SWNS Zara Phythian and Victor Marke
According to the outlet, the woman described looking up to Phythian, who was working as a martial-arts instructor in Nottinghamshire, U.K., at the time, as was Marke.
The woman alleged that Phythian and Marke gave her alcohol before Phythian dared her to perform oral sex on Marke, who reportedly was not yet married to Phythian but to another woman at the time.
"I remember trying to copy Zara's reaction at the time because I looked up to her and tried to be like her," the woman said, according to the BBC. Marke then had sex with both Phythian and the plaintiff, the latter alleged.
The woman told police that Marke told her no one "would believe" her and threatened to harm her if she said anything, adding of the couple, "They always had a power over me," per the BBC.
Along with the charges brought against Phythian and Marke from this plaintiff, Marke faces four more from another woman alleging he sexually abused her from 2002 to 2003, starting when she was 15 years old.
According to The Nottingham Post, the latter woman said Marke began having sex with her when she was 16. Phythian and Mark have reportedly denied all allegations from both plaintiffs.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
