A 58-year-old man allegedly indecently assaulted four young girls in offences spanning more than two decades, a Court heard.

Derek Dearing denies ten charges of indecent assault and three of sexual activity with a child.

He insists the events never took place.

Prosecutor Michael Smith told Bradford Crown Court that four complainants had come to court to say the defendant had touched them sexually.

Mr Smith said that Dearing, of Leafield Way, Eccleshill, Bradford, denied any sexual or inappropriate contact at all with any of the complainants in the case.

The prosecutor said that some of the offences were historic cases in which witnesses had only relatively recently disclosed what had happened and involved the police.

Mr Smith claimed the offences against the first complainant – when she was aged between nine and 13 – involved pinning her against the back of a sofa and pushing himself against her on three occasions.

The fourth allegation involved him bouncing her up and down on his knee.

The second complainant alleged he indecently assaulted her when she was 13.

Mr Smith alleged that Dearing threatened to kill her if she told anyone and said nobody would believe her.

The third complainant, who was eight or nine at the time of the offences, in the early 1990s, claimed Dearing kissed her sexually and, on another occasion, indecently assaulted her.

The final six allegations concerned the fourth complainant, from the age of seven, between March 2004 and December 2005.

Mr Smith said she would hit him with a cuddly toy to stop the indecent assaults.

The girl was video interviewed by police when she was 11 after she told friends and a teacher at her school what had happened.

The trial continues.