Officer showed girl porn videos, court told

John Stringer denies five charges relating to the sexual abuse of a child

A police officer allegedly showed a young girl pornographic videos and touched her inappropriately, a court has heard.

Gwent Police officer John Stringer, 42, is accused of making the girl watch videos featuring half-naked women and asking her to act out what she saw.

On Tuesday the jury at Cardiff Crown Court was shown the police interview with the child, who was below the age of 13, recorded four days after the final time he allegedly assaulted her.

Mr Stringer, from Cardiff, denies five charges relating to the sexual abuse of a child.

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In the interview the girl - who cannot be identified - told an officer she didn't want to repeat what she had been made to watch but felt "forced" because Mr Stringer kept on asking.

The girl said the first time he allegedly assaulted her they were sat on the sofa playing PlayStation, and Mr Stringer had a blanket over him which he then put over her because she said he was cold.

She told the officer a "few minutes later" he started touching her inappropriately and "it felt like it lasted a long time".

The court heard the alleged offences happened during the Covid pandemic, and there was a break between the girl's contact with Mr Stringer during lockdowns.

She said Mr Stringer told her not to tell her parents, saying "he told me he'd get into a lot of trouble, and it would all be my fault".

The girl said Mr Stringer said "weird and disgusting things" and asked "what I learnt in SRE [sex and relationships education] classes".

A pre-recorded cross-examination video from June 2022 of the girl's evidence was also played to the court.

Matthew Roberts, defending, said Mr Stringer denies the girl's allegations and said he had never been in his house alone with her.

Mr Stringer denies two counts of sexual assault, two of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one of causing a child to watch a sexual act.

The trial continues.