A TIPSY runaway threatened to jump in front of a car after allegedly being twice sexually attacked by a man she thought was kind, a jury was told.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the 14-year-old was said to be crying and shaking after Frank Doherty, 46, touched her underneath and over her clothing after she fled a children's home and arrived in Bacup.

The teenager said after the alleged offences she was confused and scared as well as upset and angry, but couldn't remember all the details of what went on because of the alcohol.

Doherty, of Tong Lane, Bacup, denies two allegations of indecent assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

A 15-year-old youth who had made friends with the alleged victim at the children's home and ran away with her, told the court he had got drunk and ended up falling asleep. He said the complainant had been crying, told him Doherty had tried it on with her and claimed he had pushed her against a fence. The youth said after the alleged assaults the girl was shaking, crying and in a state and lay on the pavement sobbing. She said she wanted to jump in front of the next car that came along.

The youth told the court he saw Doherty kiss the girl on the neck and put his hand on her tummy.

Giving evidence by video link the complainant said that on the day of the alleged assaults she had started drinking cider and lager in the morning and had not had anything to eat since the day before.

Michael Lavery, defending Doherty, asked: "When you have alcohol you do things you normally wouldn't do, don't you?" The girl replied: "Not always." She agreed that the year before she claimed she had been raped although she had not. It was true that she had met a man in the street and had gone into a garden and had sex with him.

Mr Lavery: "You were drunk weren't you and had sex with your consent?" The aggrieved: "Yes." The girl said she had said she had been raped because she thought she had."

The complainant said she was not drunk on the day of the alleged assaults. She told the jury: "I was tipsy. I knew what I was doing. Being drunk is different to tipsy."

(Proceeding)

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