Child sex victim told court attacker planned to leave his wife

The alleged abuse victim of Geoff Hillier said he had homosexual sex on two occasions while visiting Hillier's home in Hartlepool.

"Geoff told me he loved me, and he would leave his wife and settle down with me," the alleged victim told Teesside Crown Court.

"He was placid, shy, wouldn't say boo to a goose.

"The only time he was controlling was leading up to sexual activity."

The alleged victim said there came a time when he wanted to end the relationship.

"I knew Geoff didn't want to end it," said the alleged victim. "I pretended to him that I'd met someone else,"

Peter Makepeace QC, prosecuting, told the jury there was a lot of other sexual activity between the alleged victim and Hillier which the prosecution had decided not to charge individually.

Nigel Soppitt, defending Hillier, said his client agreed with most of the victim's account, but sexual activity between the two had taken place when the victim was older.

The court heard Hillier's second alleged child victim had seen him driving busses in Hartlepool, before meeting him at the home of another homosexual man.

When interviewed by the police, Hillier said he was bisexual, and went to the Burn Valley Gardens toilets in Hartlepool to meet gay men when he was in his 20s.

"I was looking for people my age," said Hillier. "I'm not interested in young boys.

"I probably had about 20 encounters with friends in the toilets, some of them are now dead."

Hillier, 72, of Haswell Avenue, Hartlepool, denies two charges of indecent assault, and two serious sexual offences, allegedly committed against two victims.

He is standing trial with four other men.

Robert Black, 71, of Derwent Grange, Hartlepool, denies five charges of indecent assault, and one serious sexual offence.

Alan Edmenson, 66, of Ibrox Grove, Hartlepool, denies one charge of indecent assault..

Joseph Brown, 81, of Front Street, Hart, denies one charge of indecent assault between.

Peter Watts, 72, of Oxford Road, Hartlepool, denies five charges of indecent assault.

All of the offences are alleged to have taken place in the late 1970s and 1980s.

The trial is expected to last another two weeks.

Proceeding.