Zara Phythian, known for her role in the 2016 Marvel film Doctor Strange, has been sexually sentenced to eight years in jail for abusing a 13-year-old girl. A report by BBC News revealed that Zara’s husband Victor Marke was also found guilty of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl and has been sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment.

Zara Phythian and her husband Victor Marke had 14 of sexual activity with the then minor victim, from 2005 to 2008. The victim said that she was just 13 when the couple plied her with rum and made her have oral sex with Marke after Phythian. She also claimed that the couple used to play a game of ‘dare’ with her.

Judge Mark Watson during the judgement told Phythian, “Whilst you denied in cross-examination that you were besotted with Victor Marke, on the evidence I have heard I am in no doubt that your deviance was shaped by the influence that he had upon you from an early age.”

The judge also said that Marke was the “driving force behind the abuse” and said, “I regard you as the driving force behind the abuse. You were clearly aware of the first incident but pretended to be asleep. This could only have been a ruse agreed in advance.”

Phythian was seen playing the role of Brunette Zealot in Doctor Strange, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. Some of her other acting credits include Accident Man 2 (2022) and Tribal Get Out Alive (2020).

For women in distress help available at, Central Social Welfare Board -Police Helpline: 1091/ 1291, (011) 23317004; Shakti Shalini- women’s shelter: (011) 24373736/ 24373737; All India Women’s Conference: 10921/ (011) 23389680; Joint Women’s Program: (011) 24619821; Sakshi- Violence Intervention Center: (0124) 2562336/5018873; Nirmal Niketan (011) 27859158; JAGORI (011) 26692700; Nari Raksha Samiti: (011) 23973949; RAHI Recovering and Healing from Incest. A support center for women survivors of child sexual abuse: (011) 26238466/ 26224042, 26227647.