Would you say that if the victim was a woman and the attacked was a man?So his story goes. The fact everyone is taking everything he said as factual without knowing anything other than what the news stories say is concerning. Many a people have had lives ruined be people crying wolf. (Im sure someone will come along here shortly and flame me over that opinion too)
Not saying this is the case here and what he said might be true, but theres the possibility that he put on a façade because his lawyer said he should.
I'll say this and be done. Because of what I do for a living, which I will not disclose here, I have - unfortunately - had a front row seat to this type of thing a few times in my career. It is always disgusting. It is always reprehensible. And rarely, if ever do minors lie about a long standing relationship like the one mentioned in the OP. Individual visits, trists, one night stands? Sure...people lie about those. But sustained sexual abuse towards a minor...the stories are almost always the same. Unwanted sexual attention; threatened and made to comply.