Five men charged with sex offences against young boys in public toilets

Robert Black, Geoffrey Hillier, Alan Edmenson, Joseph Brown, and Peter Watts are alleged to have used the Burn Valley Gardens public toilets as a regular meeting point to abuse the boys.

A jury at Teesside Crown Court heard the allegations against the men emerged following publicity of the case of Hartlepool undertaker Gerald Martin.

Prosecutor Peter Makepeace QC said the allegations were reported after one of the victims saw the case.

“The arrest and charge of Mr Martin attracted a great deal of publicity in the Hartlepool Mail,” he said.

“One of the victims in this case saw the stories and told police he had also been abused in the Burn Valley toilets.

“He was able to identify two of these defendants, and to put police in touch with another victim, who was able to identify all five defendants.”

Outlining the case against Black, Mr Makepeace said: “He was identified by the victim as a regular at the toilets.

“Sexual activity took place in the toilets about 10 times. There was another occasion when the victim had just left the library in Hartlepool.

“He was abused in a back lane, and tried to get away by pretending someone was coming.”

When Black was arrested in 2015, he was wearing women’s knickers, the court heard.

“Black had a collection of female underwear and pornography involving children,” added Mr Makepeace.

“He had also written erotic stories portraying the abuse of young boys by their fathers.

“Black told the police that was just wishful thinking.”

The court heard Hillier met one of his victims by chance, inviting him back to his house for a drink.

The boy was shown homosexual pornography before being abused by Hillier.

Police found child pornography in Hillier’s house, including images claiming to show boys being raped by their fathers.

Officers also found a taped conversation with a Canadian man, in which Hillier boasted of having sex with a boy, and he said boys in school uniform turned him on.

Edmenson is alleged to have been another regular at the Burn Valley toilets, abusing a boy on one occasion.

Brown is alleged to have have forced a toilet cubicle door to abuse a boy, who was hiding from him.

Watts is alleged to have sexually abused two boys in the toilets, one of whom told police he enjoyed what had been done to him.

The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.

The five defendants are charged with several alleged offences.

Black, 71, of Derwent Grange, Hartlepool, denies five charges of indecent assault, and one serious sexual offence, all between 1975 and 1980.

Hillier, 72, of Haswell Avenue, Hartlepool, denies two charges of indecent assault, and two serious sexual offences, all between 1980 and 1989.

Edmenson, 66, of Ibrox Grove, Hartlepool, denies one charge of indecent assault between 1979 and 1981.

Brown, 81, of Front Street, Hart, denies one charge of indecent assault between 1981 and 1989.

Watts, 72, of Oxford Road, Hartlepool, denies five charges of indecent assault between 1976 and 1978.

The case continues.