Woman who Charles Manson 'had sex' with at 14 reveals unsettling account for first time

Dianne Lake later testified against Manson in court after he instructed his followers to murder seven people

Charles Manson ordered the killing of seven people and was jailed for first-degree murder (AFP/Getty Images)

A woman who became the youngest person to join Charles Manson’s cult, aged 14, has described how he captivated and controlled female members of his group and how he “had sex” with her hours after they first met.

In a graphic memoir, Dianne Lake, now 64, said her first encounter with Manson who was 33 at the time was “tender”.

In California the age of consent has been 18-years-old since 1913 and Manson’s alleged actions amount to statutory rape.

Ms Lake later testified against Manson in court following the two-day murder spree that left seven people dead, but she said Manson was “attractive and loving” the first time she met him.

In an excerpt from Ms Lake’s new book published by The New York Post this week, she wrote: “He took his time to explore my body. He avoided the places that made me purr until I could barely stand it.”

“After a few minutes, he put himself inside me while staring into my eyes. He was tender as he held me up to meet his deep thrusts. When he finished, he sighed; I exhaled and realized I was hooked.”

Though she was 14, she did not live with her parents, who lived in a commune and met Manson before their daughter did.

But she previously told People that she fell into the cult after being abandoned by her parents.

“I needed love and affection, and I needed a family. I needed to feel like I belonged somewhere,” she said. “He perceived that from the get-go.”

In an interview this week with Good Morning America, Ms Lake said: “Yes, there were other girls, but we all shared him. He made you feel really special, and specially loved.”

“It seemed very natural and loving and kind of like a game,” she said, speaking about the sexual contact between Manson and the members of the group.

“He would start with the hands... and that would lead into more intimate things.

“He was cute, impish. You know, fun.”

After Manson instructed cult members to murder Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, Steven Parent, Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate, Ms Lake escaped the group.

She did not play any role in the murders, but heard first-hand accounts of how they were carried out by other “family members”.

When she went on to face Manson in court, his defense lawyer asked her: “Are you still in love with Mr Manson now?” She replied: “I guess so”, to which Manson shouted out: “You loved everybody. Don't put it all on Mr Manson.”

The court room reportedly burst into laughter at Manson's interjection.

In her book, Ms Lake wrote: “I hadn't seen it before, how he could truly work a room. This man didn't mean to be funny... he was deflecting responsibility from himself by humiliating me and dismissing my value as a human being.”

She said it was at that point she realised he was just “a scruffy little man with an enormous ego”.

When the trial was over, first-degree murder convictions were returned against Manson and Ms Lake was eventually able to move on with her life, marrying, raising three children and earning a master’s degree in education.

Now she is sharing her story of survival.

“I think the biggest burden was keeping it a secret,” Lake says. “I survived and prevailed during this dark time.”

Ms Lake’s book, Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties, came out on 24 October.