Girl, nine, fled flat of man, 52, after being asked 'to do something rude', court hears
A nine-year-old schoolgirl ran out of a flat after being invited back by a 52-year-old man who offered her £2 'to do something rude', a court was told.
Stephen Yates is on trial for three counts of abducting a child and a further count of inciting a child under 13 into sexual activity.
It allegedly involves two girls, one of whom is said to have been abducted twice – the last occasion of which was alleged on January 23 this year. The earlier incident is said to have happened between June 1 and September 30 last year.
Yates, of First Avenue, Low Hill, Wolverhampton, denies the charges.
Prosecuting, Miss Samantha Powis told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday that the defendant's dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier called Bella had run up to the younger of the two alleged victims and she began playing with the pet.
She said: "He asked her if she wanted to go to his flat. In his flat he gave her £2 and said 'do you want to do something rude?'.
"It is the prosecution's argument that he offered the money as to engage this child in sexual activity."
The mother of the girl told the jury she had warned Yates to leave her daughter alone after the earlier incident when the child and a 11-year-old friend had supposedly gone to his home with him.
The woman said: "I told him that he was not supposed to have children in his flat and warned that if he ever had my daughter there again I would call the police. He said it would never happen again."
Miss Powis told the jury: "The girls had been playing with his dog. Stephen Yates asked them if they wanted to go to his flat because he only had enough money for one of the girls. They entered his flat but left a short while later to continue to play."
Then on January 23, a nine-year-old boy called at her home with her daughter and claimed the girl had been at the flat with Yates again, the jury was told. The daughter reluctantly confirmed this, it was said.
During police interviews Yates gave no comment. The court was also told he was picked out in an ID parade by both the mother of one of the claimants and both girls.
The nine-year-old girl was asked during a video interview with the court why she ran away on the second occasion she was at the flat of Yates after allegedly being given money to 'do something rude' she replied: "In case he did something to me."
The court was also told Yates was picked out in an ID parade by both the mother and both the girls.
Yates denies all the charges and the case continues.
