A DEPUTY head teacher breached his position of responsibility by molesting three pupils in his care, a court has been told.

John Cartmell, a member of staff at St Mary's RC school, Oswaldtwistle, is alleged to have indecently assaulted two youngsters by either trying to or actually putting his hand down their trousers.

It has also been claimed that a student teacher saw Cartmell rubbing his knee against another boy's groin.

The 51-year-old teacher, of Manchester Road, Hapton, has denied three charges of indecently assaulting boys on dates covering periods between September 1998 and September 1999.

The defendant has not been back to work since he was spoken to by the school about the allegations.

At the start of the trial, Miss Suzanne Goddard, prosecuting, said Cartmell had been deputy head at the school since 1984. The alleged victims in the case were three boys, now aged 13.

She said matters came to the attention of the authorities and the police because a student teacher on teaching practice raised the alarm in May 1999.

She had been escorting a young boy back to his classroom when the prosecution say she observed the defendant teaching in a lesson, the court heard.

She is alleged to have seen an eleven-year-old walk up to the defendant who put a hand on the boy's shoulder before moving his knee up and rubbing it into the area of the boy's groin.

Cartmell is said to have moved away on seeing that she was there. The concerned woman later informed someone else by an e-mail and investigations began.

Social Services and the police were alerted. The defendant was spoken to by the school.

He stopped doing his duties and had not been back to the school since. When interviewed by the police he claimed the woman was a poor student and had made up the accusations.

The children themselves were interviewed on video by police. One boy said the defendant had used his knee to touch him in a private area.

Another claimed that Cartmell had touched him underneath his pants and that he pushed the defendant away to stop him.

The third youngster alleged that Cartmell had tried to put his hands down his pants and that when the boy stopped him he was told "get on with your work."

In July 1999, the defendant was interviewed. He denied that there had been any indecency, deliberate or otherwise.