Gordon Anglesea 'visited paedophile ring house'

A former police chief visited a house where youngsters were plied with drink before men "picked a boy they wanted", a court has heard.

Ex-North Wales Police Supt Gordon Anglesea, 78, of Old Colwyn, Conwy, denies sexually abusing two teenage boys in the 1980s.

A witness at the Mold Crown Court trial said the property in Brymbo, Wrexham, was used by a paedophile ring.

Boys were abused there, in a caravan or taken to the pub, jurors were told.

The witness described the house as a "centre of paedophile activity" and said he gave investigators names of men who abused him there.

"They'd be plied with drink and shown pornographic videos," he said.

"The men would pick a boy they wanted and then either abuse them in the house, in a car, in a caravan or take them to pubs."

While there, the witness was introduced to Gary Cooke - who was jailed for 14 years in September 2015 after being found guilty of 11 indecent assaults.

'Horrible grin'

He said Mr Anglesea visited to speak to Cooke in the kitchen and he remembered Mr Anglesea from a "distinguishing" birthmark, the court heard.

The witness - who is not a complainant in the trial - said he was abused by a number of men.

He also alleged that when showering as a child at the Wrexham attendance centre run by Mr Anglesea, the former police officer would be watching boys "with a horrible grin" on his face.

Defence barrister Tania Griffiths suggested this was "absolute nonsense", to which the witness replied: "No, it is not."

She said there were inconsistencies in the evidence, such as the witness describing Mr Anglesea's birthmark on the wrong side of his face.

"If you can make such whopping mistakes, you can make a mistake about Mr Anglesea at Gary Cooke's home?" she asked.

Mr Anglesea denies two allegations of indecent assault and one serious sexual assault on one boy and the indecent assault of another.

The trial continues.