Actor and martial arts instructor Zara Phythian, who appeared in Doctor Strange (2016), has been convicted of child sexual abuse, along with her husband Victor Marke.
She has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Phythian and Marke have been convicted of jointly abusing minors, with the latter facing 14 years of jail-time. The couple was found guilty of sexually abusing a minor girl, between 2005 and 2008, when she was 13 years of age.
In a pre-recorded statement, the victim said, “I think they saw a vulnerability in me and preyed on that,” and added, “I have become an adult now. All the pain, anger and disgust and shame I felt is now on you. Both of you.”
Prior to passing the sentence, Judge Mark Watson noted that he believed that the joint abuse of the victim was pre-planned.
Watson further told Marke, “I regard you as the driving force behind the abuse. Most people have held, and continue to hold you in high esteem. That’s due to the positive impact of your work (as martial arts instructors).”
“Whilst that may help in mitigation, that is also why you were able to groom and corrupt the victims in this case and why you got away abusing them for so long,” Watson added.
The judge further noted that Phythian’s “deviance” was caused by Marke’s influence on her from an early age, and added, “Having said that, none of this excuses what you did – these were choices you made. You were, by then, successful in your own right. You chose to play your part.”
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It is to be noted that the couple partook in the sexual crimes, before Phythian rose to prominence in her career as a martial arts instructor, and her appearance in the Marvel film as Brunette Zealot.
Marke was also found guilty of sexually abusing another woman on multiple occasions, between 2002 and 2003, when she was 16 years old. The accounts of sexual abuse began, after the second victim had accidentally touched Marke’s leg. It was reported that Marke had also touched her leg, and had kissed her on her lips and neck. He had also touched her beneath her clothing, and had been physically inappropriate on other occasions, before having sex with her.