A serving police officer has gone on trial accused of sexually assaulting a younger girl.
John Stringer, 41, from Cardiff, who works for Gwent Police in south-east Wales, can also be accused of displaying the girl a pornographic video and asking her to imitate the actions.
Stringer is charged with 5 offences that are alleged to have taken place over nearly two years between December 2019 and July 2021.
They embrace two counts of sexual assault by touching, two counts of inflicting or inciting a baby underneath 13 to interact in sexual exercise and one rely of inflicting a baby to look at a sexual act.
Stringer has denied the allegations and went on trial at Cardiff Crown Court docket on Monday.
Opening the case, Ian Wright, prosecuting, instructed a jury of 5 males and 7 girls: “On the time of these alleged offences this defendant was a serving police officer with Gwent Constabulary.”
Mr Wright stated the defendant’s alleged abuse got here to gentle after the girl made a disclosure to her major faculty educating assistant.
The Cardiff major faculty instantly notified her dad and mom and South Wales Police who then interviewed her on July 15 2021.
Mr Wright stated: “(The girl) disclosed to the police in that video interview that she was being sexually assaulted by this defendant.”
The prosecutor stated the girl had instructed the police that Stringer had touched her inappropriately underneath a blanket and her clothes and would present her pornographic movies with half-naked girls in them and ask her to “mimic” the actions of the performers.
The court docket heard how there was a break within the alleged offending because of the Covid-19 lockdowns and that when restrictions eased the alleged sexual abuse resumed.
The jury heard the alleged offences should not associated to his actions as a police officer.
Stringer was arrested on July 12 2021 at 3.15pm and, after being cautioned, instructed the arresting officers: “It’s a shock.”
He was interviewed and, regardless of denying the girl’s account, he was later charged.
The jury was proven the video of the girl’s interview with police throughout which she instructed an officer that Stringer had sexually touched her on a quantity of events and that it made her really feel “mistaken”.
Requested how she had felt when the defendant allegedly confirmed her pornography, she stated: “Very uncomfortable.”
She additionally claimed that Stringer had requested her about her relationships and sexuality training (RSE) courses in major faculty and whether or not she had discovered “learn how to make infants” or about masturbation.
She instructed the officer she had instructed Stringer that she was too younger to find out about such issues.
The girl additionally instructed police that on two events Stringer had requested her to the touch herself sexually and that she had felt “pressured” to hold out the act because of the defendant’s insistence.
In a pre-recording of the girl’s cross-examination, that was additionally performed to the jury on Monday, she was questioned by the defence over why she would comply with such directions, and stated: “You already know when individuals inform you to do, like, one thing when you understand it’s mistaken however they are saying it’s proper.”
Through the cross-examination the defence put to her that Stringer denied her account, however she repeated that the alleged offences had taken place.
Jurors have been instructed that in the course of the four-day trial they might be proven the defendant’s interviews with police, the drawings the girl made throughout her interviews and the defendant’s web and chat histories.
The prosecution stated specialists might be known as to indicate how Stringer had “very, very many searches” for grownup pornography on his cell phone.
Stringer, who wore a darkish blue swimsuit and tie with a white shirt, solely spoke to verify his identify however on a quantity of events as proof was being heard appeared to shake his head in disagreement.
He’s to stay on bail all through the trial.
The trial continues.
